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A Geordie air passenger was stopped before a flight - because his pease pudding looked like the explosive Semtex.

The 58-year-old was leaving Newcastle Airport for a short hop to Gatwick with the budget carrier EasyJet when he was stopped during routine searches of his hand luggage.

The pease pudding, a traditional North east delicacy made using split peas which are turned into a sandy coloured spread, was taken out of his luggage along with some pies.

The passenger, a part-time actor who appeared in the BBC hit series ‘Blackadder’, said: “I love my pease pudding.

“I think the resemblance to Semtex was pushing it a bit far as it was in containers marked pease pudding.

“But I did have six tubs to take back down south with me.

“One of the security guys said to me that it had come up on the scanner.

“He told me ‘technically, this could be classed as Semtex’.

“I told them that they could taste it if they wanted to.

“At that point they said ‘next time put it in the hold.”

After a delay to examine the £1.80 tubs of pease pudding, the Geordie, who now lives in Sussex, was allowed to get on the flight with his pease pudding, and a variety of Greggs pies.

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He added: “I was very glad that they allowed me to keep them in the end.

“It is quite hard to get your hands on pease pudding down south”

Pease pudding is made of split peas, water, salt and spices and is very popular in the North east of England, and some parts of the Midlands.

An HM Customs spokeswoman said the checks were likely to have been carried out by airport security prior to the flight two weeks ago.

She added: “There is no customs policy with regard to pease pudding so far as I am aware.”

A Newcastle Airport spokeswoman said they did not comment on security matters.

The EasyJet service from Newcastle to Gatwick ended on March 27 this year due to low demand.