Britain's Gatwick airport terminal reopens after 'explosive' scare

The north terminal of south London' s Gatwick Airport was re-opened after an explosive scare, the airport authorities announced on Saturday.

"Following advice from the Police, we can now confirm that the north terminal has re-opened," the authorities said on its Twitter account. "We are working with our airlines to return north terminal to usual operations."

The north terminal was evacuated as a precautionary measure after a man had "discarded an item" at the airport and Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists were at the scene.

Earlier, a 41-year-old man, who was reported to be French, was held after he was allegedly seen putting an item in a bin. Police said a suspected firearm was found.

Following which, the airport's North Terminal was evacuated "for the protection of the public".

Hundreds of people were photographed standing outside the airport in the rain after being told to leave the airport at around 10 a.m.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police told The Independent that she could not confirm the reports of a security alert but said: "The terminal is being evacuated at the moment. It is for the protection at the public."

She said the evacuation was a precautionary measure sparked by the discovery of a "suspicious article".

The evacuation comes amid heightened security in Britain following a wave of terror attacks in Paris on Friday night that killed 127 people.