Alarmed Perth residents watched in horror as a hot air balloon landed “perilously close” to a main road.
Shocked locals insisted the landing looked anything but routine a claim strenuously denied by flight operators Virgin.
“I looked out of my window at about 9am and could not believe what I was seeing,” said one resident of the Gannochy area of Perth.
“The balloon was incredibly low down and was obviously about to land.
“To say I was surprised would be an understatement it was pretty alarming stuff.
“In the end it touched down in a field just yards from the main A94 Perth to Scone road.
“I felt it was perilously close to what is a very busy road and also extremely close to a residential area.”
Hot air balloons can regularly be seen in the skies above Perth but a number of residents contacted The Courier on Monday to express their amazement following what some described as “a near miss.”
“My wife called me out of the house because she was so alarmed by how low the balloon was,” one man explained.
“It came down very close to the main road and ended up being a pretty near miss.Consequences”The consequences had it landed on the road do not bear thinking about,” he said.
When contacted by The Courier, a spokesman for the Virgin-operated balloon flight insisted it had been a text-book landing.
He also said the pilot was in “complete control” throughout.
“This was a standard hot air balloon landing in a perfectly suitable field which was separated from the road by a large hedge,” the spokesman explained.
“The wind speed was less than one mile an hour and the highly experienced pilot was in complete control at all times.
“The balloon crew had gained permission from the landowner before the balloon landed and deflated.”
The spokesman added that the landing posed no risk to anybody and that all aboard the flight had thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“The balloon took off from Perth’s North Inch at 7.40am with 15 passengers,” he continued.
“They had a very pleasant hour’s flight with views down to Dundee before enjoying a champagne toast in the field after landing.”