A passenger in Australia has accidentally been given a bomb in a suitcase by staff at Sydney airport.

The training device was planted in the case by police in August to train sniffer dogs.

However, after the exercise, it was forgotten about and given to the unnamed passenger after her own case was damaged.

The bomb contained real explosives, but officials say it was deactivated.

Australian Federal Police have apologised to the woman.

According to an official statement, the device, containing 230g of plastic explosive, was originally placed in a case at the domestic terminal on August 14 to be used in a training exercise for sniffer dogs.

Planting real explosives, drugs and other items in real airport luggage is quite common practice - it's seen as an essential training tool for dogs.

Nearly a month later after the exercise, the passenger was handed the abandoned case as a replacement after hers was damaged in flight.

She took the bag, left the airport, and drove home with the bomb still inside.

When the passenger finally discovered it and handed it in to police in Cessnock, more 90 miles from the airport, the station had to be evacuated.

Federal police Sydney airport Commander Wayne Buchhorn told reporters: "Although the travelling public was not in danger at any time, we regularly review our processes in this area, and we will do again in the light of this incident.

"The police takes this error seriously and the canine instructor who inadvertently left this device behind has been identified and will be the subject of a formal professional standards investigation.

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