Strip search scanners go on trial at Manchester Airport

Controversial x-ray scanners that can 'see' through passengers' clothes have been introduced at Manchester Airport.

The scanners, which have already been tested at London Heathrow, have been installed at Manchester Airport's Terminal 2.

Unlike the normal human security scanners used at airports, these machines can pass through clothes to take an image of the human body.

They can reveal if a passenger has concealed a weapon or explosives under their clothes, but they also show intimate details of the body including breast implants, body piercings and images of private parts.

Security chiefs have assured passengers that the x-ray scanners are operated by officials seated in a remote booth away from the passenger area so they are not able to see the person they are scanning.

Neither are the images produced clear enough for the scanner to be able to identify the passenger.

Passengers who are uncomfortable with the idea of the x-ray machines can opt for a traditional 'pat down' body search instead, though Manchester Airport said some people found these more intimate and intrusive than the x-ray machines.

Passing through the x-ray scanner is less hassle for passengers as they don't need to remove shoes or belts and their introduction could potentially cut security queues.

Frequent flyers who might be worried about radiation levels have been reassured that scanners emit 20,000 times less radiation than a normal dental scan.

Airport authorities will decide whether to install the x-ray scanners permanently following the Manchester trial. They are already used at several airports in the United States.

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