Chris O'Dowd slams Gatwick security for 'body-searching' his baby
The IT Crowd actor criticised airport staff after security frisked his 3-month-old son
Chris O'Dowd has taken to Twitter to express his frustration at Gatwick security. The actor, who's married to Dawn O'Porter, complained that his baby was body searched and his bottle of milk was thrown away while they went through security before boarding a recent flight with their 3-month-old son Art.
"Thanks Gatwick security! Some might think body-searching a baby and binning his bottle was over zealous and weird, but not me! #ScaryBaby," the new dad tweeted sarcastically.
A spokesperson for Gatwick has defended the decision, explaining: "All passengers are subject to the normal security screening processes at the airport.
"When young babies come through security we ask parents to carry them. If the scanning equipment picks up something, we have to check both the parent and the baby.
"We always try to handle these searches sensitively. The restrictions around liquids are Government requirements, and passengers are advised that when travelling with a baby, they are allowed to take enough baby food, baby milk and sterilised water for the journey. In some cases this will be over 100ml."
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Unfortunately, Chris O'Dowd didn't explain why his baby's bottle was confiscated. As explained above, the Government's guidelines let parents take baby milk (breast, formula, soya and cow's milk) on the plane with you - as long as you have a baby travelling with you.
It's also OK to take a baby bottle containing sterilised water - and in some cases, it states, you'll be allowed to take more than the standard 100ml. However, the guidelines warn that security staff may open the bottle and screen the liquid.
Have you ever had trouble going through airport security with your baby? Let us know in the comments below.
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