Bomb Fears: 'Charge All Gadgets' For UK Flights

Airline passengers coming into and out of the UK will have to show their electronic devices can be powered up before being allowed to fly.

The Department for Transport's (DfT) guidance has been updated following similar advice for passengers heading to the US in response to terror threats.

A spokesman for DfT said: "In line with the US advice, passengers on some routes into and out of the UK may now also be required to show that electronic devices in their hand luggage are powered up or face not being allowed to bring the device onto the aircraft.

"Passengers flying into or out of the UK are therefore advised to make sure electronic devices being carried in their hand luggage are charged before they travel."

The move follows reports two terror networks are working together on a bomb that could evade existing measures.

No specific routes have been highlighted and the DfT said it hopes to "minimise disruption as far as possible".

A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said the new checks would happen at the gate, not the airport's main security area.

The heightened security is believed to be the result of US intelligence that al Qaeda's chief bomb maker, Igrahim Hassan al Asri, is passing on his knowledge to jihadists in Syria.

Last week Prime Minister David Cameron said decisions had been made based on "the evidence in front of us" and in co-operation with America.

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, said the increased airport security measures were "unavoidable".