Airport's festive luggage warning

Security teams at Newcastle Airport are reminding passengers travelling over the festive season not to pack sharp items in their hand luggage.

Objects such as razor blades, scissors, penknives and corkscrews are not allowed in aircraft cabins.

Most mistakes are genuine, said a spokesman, but some deliberately try to take dangerous weapons aboard.

Air pistols, combat knives, knuckle dusters and swords have all been seized from passengers in the past year.

Craig Hurst, of airport security, said: "We have a lot of empathy for passengers who genuinely misunderstand the situation with items like nail clippers, nail files or tweezers.

"But it's very difficult to believe how someone can confuse the issue with something like a meat cleaver."

More than 100,000 passengers are expected to pass through the airport between Christmas and New Year, and security teams say anyone who tries to carry a weapon on a plane will be severely dealt with.