NEW technology has many advantages, including making it easier to check out problems on high rise buildings.

Inverclyde’s biggest landlord, River Clyde Homes, is buzzing drones around several blocks to take a close look at spots that might be impossible to see properly without scaffolding or someone abseiling down the structures.

The housing association took the wise precaution of warning householders in advance that the drones were coming, otherwise the local constabulary might have received frantic calls from alarmed people who feared they were being spied upon.

While the devices can be deployed for many other legitimate tasks, such as surveying large areas of land and delivering medicines to far-flung communities that can’t be reached by road, they are an absolute menace in the hands of amateur enthusiasts who pilot them too close to planes.

Calls have been made for the law to catch up with this rapidly advancing type of mini-aircraft.

Licensing should be considered to try to prevent reckless idiots risking potential disaster through fooling around with drones near airports.

You really don’t want to think about what could happen if a drone caused a plane to fall out of the sky, especially over a populated area.

A new positive area for drones, however, is being explored by Amazon, who are looking at using giant airships carrying fleets of them to deliver goods and food.

Maybe one day we’ll see one of these massive airborne storage depots hovering over Amazon in Gourock!