Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

These are the weirdest things Britons have had confiscated at Airports

Eight per cent of people tried to sneak a live animal through airport securtiy 

Mollie Goodfellow
Friday 16 October 2015 16:20 BST
Comments
If you were thinking of taking tent pegs through security - don't
If you were thinking of taking tent pegs through security - don't (Rex Features)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Live animals and handcuffs are among the most confiscated items taken from passengers at airport security.

In a survey conducted by comparison site JetCost revealed that the most confiscated item was handcuffs, with 14 per cent of those surveyed admitting to having the item taken away from them.

More than 2,194 Britons over 18 were asked whether they’d ever had anything removed from their luggage by security while travelling - after first being asked if they had ever been tempted to take a souvenirer home.

Read more

Second on the list of most confiscated items were nature related souvenirs such as sand or foliage - while nine per cent of respondents said when they tried to bring back a sample of sand from a particular beach, it’d be confiscated.

Living animals came third on the list, with 8 per cent saying creatures including lizards and spiders had to be left behind after they tried to bring them back from abroad.

This was the full list:

1. Handcuffs - 14%

2. Sand / foliage / other part of the natural surroundings - 9%

3. A living animal (i.e. lizards, spiders etc.) - 8%

4. Tent pegs - 6%

5. A dead animal (i.e. pheasant) - 3%

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in