British and NATO jets scrambled to intercept Russian bomber off coast of England

British and NATO fighter jets have intercepted and escorted a Russian bomber away from British airspace, according to a reporter who shot video of the incident from on board the Russian aircraft.

Footage of the mid-air encounter was broadcast on TV Zvezda, a television channel owned by Russia defence ministry.

The vision shot from aboard the Bear aircraft shows a French Mirage and RAF Typhoons flying alongside the bomber after it was intercepted by a German Eurofighter which got as close as 20m to the Russian aircraft.

The TV station said that the Russian bomber was in a neutral zone on the border with NATO airspace when it was intercepted.

It is not clear when the incident occurred but the British Ministry of Defence said it was not the most recent interception.

The Ministry of Defence added that the footage may be an edited compilation of several different interceptions.

The RAF said it scrambled aircraft to intercept Russian jets 10 times in 2011, nine in 2012 and on eight occasions in 2013 and 2014.

The number of interceptions have risen dramatically in Baltic airspace recently, with NATO saying interceptions in the region trebled in 2014.