Air traffic controllers have raised new concerns about the safety of Britain's air space.

A group of controllers has sent reports to senior managers at the Civil Aviation Authority, alleging that staff are under too much pressure and equipment is being overloaded.

UK airspace is more crowded than ever before.

The number of flights handled by the London air traffic control centre increased 6% last year and is forecast to reach yet another record high this year.

About a dozen controllers based at the West Drayton centre near Heathrow have filed confidential internal reports complaining that excessive workload and management demands are reducing safety margins.

The chairman of the House of Commons transport committee, Gwyneth Dunwoody, has asked Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott for assurances that ministers are aware of the pressures on the system.

Mr Dunwoody, whose Cheshire constituency is close to Manchester's increasingly busy airport, described the situation as "dangerously close to a crisis".

But senior managers within the Civil Aviation Authority say controllers' reports are being investigated and insist safety is not being compromised.

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