The US interior department has grounded hundreds of Chinese-made drones while it investigates the security of its entire drone programme, one of the biggest in the US government.

David Bernhardt, interior secretary, has ordered his department not to fly any drones made in China or with Chinese parts unless it is being used for emergency purposes, such as fighting wildfires, his department said on Thursday. Every one of the department’s 810 drones contains parts that were made in China, the department added.

The move reflects wider concern in Washington that Chinese-made technology in the US could be used by Beijing for spying. Officials in the Trump administration and members of Congress have warned of the threat posed by drones in particular, especially those made by DJI, the Chinese company that dominates the market.