Airport officials ordered a holidaymaker carrying a toy soldier onto a plane to remove its three-inch gun - because it was a safety threat.
Ken Lloyd was stunned when he was told he could not go on the plane with the nine-inch model soldier because it was carrying a 'firearm'.
The Canadian tourist and his wife had bought the toy, which holds a replica SA80 rifle, during a visit to the Royal Signals Museum at Blandford Camp in Dorset.
[...]
A spokeswoman for Gatwick Airport said: 'Items including firearms and items with the appearance of firearms are prohibited.
yep, i feel soo much safer!
You really couldn't make it up.
Just doing some quick maths a normal SA 80 is 900mm long, this "gun" was 76mm long.
So if you want the same muzzle velocity that a real Sa 80 has firing at around 950 m/s then, well I can't be bothered with the actual maths, but it would be about the size of a grain of sand.
Due to continuing stupidity by these lunatics, I often ask the question, are they taking the mick?