Somerset Council has secured £191,370 in funding from Innovate UK to support a pioneering drone initiative aimed at transforming how environmental emergencies are managed across the county.
The funding, awarded through the Future Flight Regional Demonstrator Fund, will help launch Project RESCUE (Resilience and Emergency Services Coordination Using Enabled-drones), which will explore how drones can be used to monitor and respond to disasters such as flooding.
The project will see Somerset Council team up with two local business partners — Land & Minerals Consulting Ltd and Limosaero — to develop a business case and operational concept for deploying drones in emergency situations. Land & Minerals Consulting Ltd is currently working with the Civil Aviation Authority on safety protocols for flying drones Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), while Limosaero is developing solar-powered fixed-wing drones capable of long-distance flights.
The “eyes in the skies” technology promises to deliver real-time footage and data from hard-to-reach areas, supporting emergency teams on the ground with faster and safer assessments.
Councillor Mike Rigby, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for the Economy, Planning and Assets, said: “The potential for drones is exciting and shows that Somerset is at the forefront of imaginative and innovative solutions to real problems that affect our communities.”
The project will also involve collaboration with local emergency services, resilience teams, Government agencies and drone operators to assess the wider benefits of drone technology, including its role in flood response. Somerset experienced devastating floods more than a decade ago, with economic costs estimated at £147.5 million.
Project RESCUE will examine how drones can help mitigate future risks, improve response times, and unlock economic growth opportunities through smart aviation technologies. The initiative builds on Somerset’s aerospace innovation centre, iAero, in Yeovil, which supports the Council’s Future Flight Innovation Zone.
Aviation Minister Keir Mather welcomed the project, saying it represents a step forward in building a greener and more efficient transport system, while also supporting jobs and skills development across the UK.
