An investigation has been launched after two planes were involved in a near miss over Gatwick.

The incident happened at around 3,000ft when an Airbus 320 was approaching the airport at the same time as a Boeing 737 had taken off for Sofia in Bulgaria.

Details of the near miss, which happened just before 11am on October 12, have only just been released by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Information has now been passed to the safety watchdog Airprox who investigate near misses and they are expected to publish their report early next year.

So far this year Airprox has received details of 34 near misses involving commercial air transport across the UK. In 2006, there were 74.

Of these, 92 per cent were assessed as having no risk of collision.