'Terrorist' tots
Plastic swords confiscated by French customs
Two-year-old twins had their dream Disneyland holiday ruined – when French airport customs officers swooped on them for carrying plastic swords.
The Luton girls, dressed in Peter Pan outfits, were making their way home through Charles de Gaulle airport when they were stopped for 'posing a security threat'.
At the security check, Olivia and Eva Ryan proudly walked up wearing their outfits, bought at Paris's Disneyland Parc France and bearing the plastic swords which are part of the outfit.
A stern "Non" from the customs and security men met with a flood of tears from the youngsters, and anger from their father, Luton photographer Pete Ryan.
The swords were confiscated with the grim warning that they are replica swords and there was no way they would be permitted on the aircraft back to Britain.
His amazement at the entire episode was underlined for Pete, when after the swords had been confiscated by the French "jobsworths" he saw vicious looking metal spikes for sale just yards away in the duty free shop.
Pete, who works for Luton Borough Council, the Herald&Post and a number of major organisations in town, said: "I was furious. It really upset the twins, and it was particularly bad since we had a really bad time at Disney, which we thought was a total rip-off. It was just a final insult when we walked through the airport and these people decided that the youngsters were a security threat.
"Nobody in their right mind would think that the swords that went with their outfit were real. It's security gone mad."
Pete, of Cranleigh Gardens, said he didn't get angry with the security men. "I just rubbed my eyes in disbelief. They just said basically that rules are rules. If we go again it will be to Disneyland in Florida."
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Weather for Luton
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -8 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -5 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
