A British couple were left horrified after discovering they had unwittingly carried a 10-inch steak knife through security at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA). Michael, 64, and Kathryn Roper, 72, from Oxenhope, near Bradford, only realised the blunder while enjoying a drink in the departure lounge ahead of their flight to Spain.
The knife, which had a six-inch blade, had been used by Kathryn to slice cake during a visit to her stepfather earlier that day. She inadvertently placed it in her bag before heading to the airport. The couple passed through modern scanners designed to allow liquids in hand luggage, but the blade went unnoticed.
Upon discovering the knife, the couple alerted security, who confiscated it. Michael criticised the security process, saying: 'It's pretty rubbish, either the scanners were not working properly, or the bloke looking at the bag station has not been paying attention.' He added: 'We were stuck with an offensive weapon, a sharp steak knife, airside. You can't put it into a bin, you've got a responsibility.'
Leeds Bradford Airport confirmed an internal investigation is underway. A spokesperson said: 'As the incident is under investigation internally, we can't comment any further.'
