Air security has been hightened following a security threat to UK airlines overnight. If you are using an airport over the next few days you may find the following advice helpful:

With immediate effect, the following arrangements apply to all passengers starting their journey at a UK airport and to those transferring between flights at a UK airport.

All cabin baggage must be processed as hold baggage and carried in the hold of passenger aircraft departing UK airports.

Passengers may take through the airport security search point, in a single (ideally transparent) plastic carrier bag, only the following items. Nothing may be carried in pockets:

- Pocket-size wallets and pocket-size purses plus contents (for example money, credit cards, identity cards etc (not handbags).

- Travel documents essential for the journey (for example passports and travel tickets).

- Prescription medicines and medical items sufficient and essential for the flight (eg, diabetic kit), except in liquid form unless verified as authentic.

- Spectacles and sunglasses, without cases.

- Contact lens holders, without bottles of solution.

Female sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight, if unboxed (eg tampons, pads, towels and wipes).

Female sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight, if unboxed (eg tampons, pads, towels and wipes).

For those travelling with an infant: baby food, milk (the contents of each bottle must be tasted by the accompanying passenger) and sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight (nappies, wipes, creams and nappy disposal bags).

Keys (but no electrical key fobs). All passengers must be hand searched, and their footwear and all the items they are carrying must be X-ray screened.

Pushchairs and walking aids must be X-ray screened, and only airport-provided wheelchairs may pass through the screening point.

In addition to the above, all passengers boarding flights to the USA and all the items they are carrying, including those acquired after the central screening point, must be subjected to secondary search at the boarding gate.

- Extra time

- Any liquids discovered must be removed from the passenger.

- There are no changes to current hold baggage security measures.

Significant delays at airports are inevitable. Passengers are being asked to allow themselves plenty of extra time and to ensure that other than the few permitted items listed above, all their belongings are placed in their hold baggage and checked in.

These additional security measures will make travel more difficult for passengers, particularly at such a busy time of the year. But they are necessary and will continue to keep flights from UK airports properly secure.

These measures, which are being kept under review by the government, will need to be in place for a limited period only.

Passengers with any questions on their travel arrangements or security in place at airports they should contact their airline or carrier.

LINKS:

Birmingham International Airport
http://www.bhx.co.ukk

Coventry Airport
http://www.coventryairport.co.uk

Nottingham East Midlands Airport
http://www.nottinghamema.com

Manchester Airport
http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk

Liverpool John Lennon Airport
http://www.liverpooljohnlennonairport.com

London Gatwick Airport
http://www.gatwickairport.com

London Luton Airport
http://www.london-luton.co.uk

London Stansted Airport
http://www.stanstedairport.com

Heathrow Airport
http://www.heathrowairport.com

Good thing then that I'm quite content with staying here on Great Britain during the summer!

I wonder which of the following lines (or similar) will appear most times in the media?

"He was a nice, quiet lad"
"He was a pillar of the community"
"He just lived for his cricket"
"Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance"
"They've twisted the teachings of the Koran"
"The Koran states that to kill one soul is like killing the whole of mankind .....blah,blah, blah"
"social deprivation and isolation"
"muslims fear a backlash"

Yes I know what you mean.

I almost kicked the television in last night when on Newsnight they shown footage of their reporter on the street where some of the arrests were made who was speaking to some local people. One of the muslim men ranted on and on about how the only reason they were arrested was because they had long beards and were ethnically Asian.

So nothing to do with the fact that the police strongly believed that they were about to blow up some planes then?

If I was there I'd have said, "look chum, the reason why they were arrested was because they were potential terrorists. they were also muslims - but that's not against the law."