Woman charged after bomb threat

The woman arrived too late to board the Paris flight

A woman has been charged by police after allegedly telling check-in staff at Newcastle Airport she had a bomb in her luggage.

Lesley Brennan was charged with communicating false information, Northumbria police said.

The 48-year-old from South Tyneside had arrived at the airport about 1330 GMT on Friday for a flight to Paris.

She allegedly made the threat after being turned away from the easyJet flight because she was late.

She was charged under section 51 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

Documentary team

There were no delays reported at the airport.

In a statement, easyJet said: "easyJet can confirm that, following an incident at the easyJet check-in at Newcastle International Airport at about 1330 GMT today, a woman was arrested by Northumbria Police.

"Northumbria Police have already confirmed that the woman commented that she had a bomb in her luggage after arriving late for check-in for the EZY6425 flight to Paris due to depart at 1355 GMT.

"easyJet has always taken a zero tolerance approach towards any threat to the safety of its staff, aircraft or passengers and it is standard easyJet practice to alert the police in the event of any such incident."

The incident was recorded by a documentary team making a fly-on-the-wall film about the airline.