Plane smoke sparks airport alert

Emergency crews were first put on local standby at the airport

A plane has been forced to make an emergency landing at Liverpool John Lennon Airport after smoke was reported in the cockpit.

Flight 3W424 from the Isle of Man, which had about 55 passengers and crew on board, landed safely.

The ATP aircraft ran into difficulty on Saturday night after the pilot reported smoke in the cabin.

Fire engines and ambulances were put on standby but were not needed. An airport spokesman said there were no injuries.

The Emerald Airways plane was being operated on behalf of EuroManx.

Airport spokesman Robin Tudor said emergency crews were put on local standby as a precautionary measure after the first call from the pilot and then the incident was upgraded to a full emergency five minutes later.

"Thankfully it wasn't serious, the aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries," he added.

An investigation is under way into the cause of the smoke.