A man claims he was forced to remove his t-shirt at the airport after security workers deemed the image of a water pistol to be 'offensive', saying the incident was 'airport security gone mad'.
Pub landlord Richard Darrington was flying from Birmingham Airport to Aberdeen last month, planning to join his wife - who was already in Scotland - for a holiday.
However, the 52-year-old said he was stopped while going through airport checks, when a female staff member accused the design on his t-shirt of being 'against airport protocol', demanding he either removed or covered it.
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Without any alternative garments, Darrington felt he had no option but to remove the top, which featured a red toy gun with the word 'water' written on it, to turn it inside out.
The dad-of-three, from near Nottingham, said: "I was walking through to the aircraft and through security at Birmingham airport and the lady stopped me in security.
"The lady said you're going to have to cover or remove that t-shirt.
"My first reaction was I thought she was joking. I just said 'Are you having a laugh?' and she said 'No, cover it up or turn it inside out'.
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"I said are you serious? It's a water pistol? She said 'It's offensive!' I said 'How's it offensive, it's a t-shirt?'
"I told her 'I'm not going to be able to peel a gun off a t-shirt' and I was having a bit of a laugh with her but she was obviously in a bad mood.
"I think what she wanted me to do was go and change it in the toilet, I didn't. I just turned it inside out and carried on walking.
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"It was no big deal but it was silly - it's laughable. It's airport security gone mad."
Anthony Wallis, the co-owner of Sauce and Brown - which manufactured and sold the t-shirt - said the airport's policy was 'bonkers', saying the word 'water' had been purposely added to the design to avoid any issues.
Wallis said: "Personally, I think it just sums up the current culture, it's just ridiculous.
"It's just a t-shirt, obviously it's water pistol and not a gun and even if it was a picture of a gun it's a print on a t-shirt, it's not an actual weapon or offensive.
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"We consciously put [the word] water on it because we didn't want any blowback to us when we made the design. It's a bit tongue in cheek - it's a camouflage t-shirt with a water pistol on it. We purposely did that."
He added that the incident was 'ludicrous' and 'bonkers', saying: "Long-haul flights I would expect them to be a little more strict about it but not on an internal flight.
"He didn't actually have a change of clothes with him as his partner had taken them already."
Richard shared the embarrassing incident on Facebook, where people were quick to defend him and mock the airport's 'outrageous' decision, with one saying: "World's gone mad."
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Birmingham Airport said it has no record of the incident, but that it supports staff as they try and 'protect' customers from any potential offence.
A spokesperson said: "We do not have a record of this particular event.
"Although a t-shirt is not an offensive item, some images and words can be, and we fully support our staff members who would look to protect our customers against any offence, should they feel there is reason."
Featured Image Credit: Kennedy News