Tourists angry after being 'trapped at airport'

Diane Eastwood said she wanted an apology from Birmingham Airport after what happened

A group of up to 40 holidaymakers were left trapped at Birmingham Airport for allegedly breaching security, they claim.

They included Diane and George Eastwood, from Shropshire, and had just returned from Fuerteventura when they said doors locked shut in front and behind them, leaving them stuck in a corridor.

Mrs Eastwood said they were told by a member of staff they could not move because of the security breach.

A spokeswoman for Birmingham Airport said they had checked their CCTV footage and "cannot find any supporting evidence” for what happened.

They denied there was any breach of security.

Mrs Eastwood, from Norton near Shifnal, wants an apology after being left feeling like a “prisoner”, as the doors trapped her and her fellow passengers.

'Police on their way'

She claimed an airport employee informed them that they had to wait there until the doors automatically opened.

When Mrs Eastwood complained, she said a second member of staff came to inform them it would take about 30 minutes before they could pass through.

“I said, 'You can’t leave us locked in here'. Children started crying and people were getting irate," she said.

Security alarms were triggered when passengers tried to walk out of the corridor, Mrs Eastwood said

Mrs Eastwood then threatened to report the incident to the media, before the doors opened a few minutes later.

However, security alarms were then triggered as passengers began to walk through, the couple said.

They were then told they were walking through a restricted area, breaking airport regulations and that the police were on their way, she explained.

“People were scared when they heard the police were called. In the end we walked off and people were coming up to me and thanking me for speaking up," Mrs Eastwood said.

'What if a fire broke out?'

She described the space as enough room to move around, but with no food or toilet facilities.

“You wouldn’t want to be there all night. I was worried about the children," she said.

“It makes you feel like a prisoner. What if a fire broke out? I’m not going to leave it as I think its unfair we were treated like that”.

A spokesperson for the airport said at no point did a security breach take place.

"Customers were held in a secure area on their arrival into the airport while routing through to landside," they added.

The couple have also complained to Jet2 as Mrs Eastwood said they felt “abandoned” at the airport.

A spokesperson for the travel firm said they are looking into the incident.