MP Slams 'Insane' airport luggage restrictions

1.22.34pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 5th Sep 2006

MP Vincent Cable has written an angry letter to the head of BAA which runs Heathrow after a local resident, who is flying to Tokyo to play in a charity concert, was told he would be unable to take his antique violin onto the plane because it would pose a security threat if carried on as hand luggage. Mr Gibbs was told that he would, under no circumstances, be allowed to take the violin into the cabin and it was too precious and fragile to send in the hold.

Vincent Cable said: "We all understand, I think, the need for genuine security screening in an age of international terrorism. But by the time security rules have passed through several tiers of bureaucracy they become rigid and sometimes completely insane. We all have our little anecdotes - my wife was recently barred from taking a blunt tapestry needle to Edinburgh - but the violin is an example of absurd behaviour causing serious inconvenience".

"Of course there are terrorist risks associated with transport but we do not tolerate on the buses, trains and underground anything like the same degree of security control - and more commonsense applies".