Amazon is about to start trials that will explore the safe use of drones for home deliveries, reports New Scientist.

The technology giant has been developing drones that can deliver its parcels to private addresses over a short distance as part of its Prime Air initiative.

It will now work with the government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to develop better safety regulations and improve drone technology – the first tests of their kind in the UK.

Current regulations do not permit drone operators to lose line of sight of their device or operate over densely populated areas unless they have CAA permission.

Technology to overcome these restrictions will be explored in the new programme, which will also test sensor performance to help drones detect and avoid obstacles.