Passengers were escorted off a plane by police on the tarmac of Liverpool John Lennon Airport this morning after a security alert.
The incident involved a 9.40am easyJet flight from Liverpool to Venice on Saturday.
The captain decided to halt take-off over security fears.
One witness claimed the fears were raised over a 'suspicious sticker' found on the plane.
Passengers were reportedly put on buses and were being held in the airport while the aircraft was searched.
A Merseyside police spokesperson said: "We can confirm officers attended Liverpool John Lennon Airport this morning (Saturday 21 September 2019) following reports of a suspicious item.
"At around 10.15am, a suspicious item was seen on a plane due to fly out of the airport, and the captain requested passengers disembark so that airline staff could search the plane as a precaution.
"No items that posed any risk to passengers were discovered and at around 11am they were allowed to re-board the flight, which is continuing its journey."
A passenger who was on the plane told the Liverpool Echo : "Rumour has it the plane arrived from Ireland and there was an untoward sticker left on the plane.
"The pilot has confirmed there was a sticker left and police are doing a full sweep of the plane before boarding the plane again."
Get breaking news first on the free Manchester Evening News app - download it here for your Apple or Android device. You can also get a round-up of the biggest stories sent direct to your inbox every day with the MEN email newsletter - subscribe here . And you can follow us on Facebook here .
