Prime Minister Gordon Brown has spoken of his admiration for the crew of the Boeing 777 - including its Worcester pilot - which crash-landed at Heathrow yesterday.

By coincidence, Mr Brown was at the airport and witnessed the aftermath of the incident which saw major disruption at the airport.

He said: "I think it's right to pay tribute to the calmness and professionalism of the British Airways staff and the captain and what he achieved in landing the aircraft.

"The speed of the evacuation we saw at first-hand, and the total professionalism and dedication of the staff."

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is carrying out a full investigation and is expected to file an initial report within 48 hours of the crash.

Early, unconfirmed, theories are that the Boeing 777 suffered total engine failure and was 'glided' towards the south runway of the airport before landing heavily.

There were 136 passengers and 16 crew on board at the time. Eighteen people required hospital treatment for minor injuries, and all but one had been released by this morning.

As we reported on this website earlier today, at the controls of the aircraft was 43-year-old pilot Peter Burkill from Kings Stephens Mount in the city.