TELEVISION presenter Ulrika Jonsson was stunned to be told by airport security staff that she was carrying a potentially dangerous weapon.

The star was stopped as she passed through Durham Tees Valley Airport, near Darlington, and had her hand luggage checked.

But, far from posing any great threat, the offending items detected by the airport's security devices were Ms Jonsson's long-lost nail scissors.

She had been searching high and low for them without any success.

So she was amazed to discover that the scissors had somehow fallen into a "secret compartment" of her make-up bag.

But after a brief reunion, the star and her beloved nail scissors were parted - as they were taken to the airport's confiscation department.

A Durham Tees Valley spokeswoman said: "She came through the airport on Friday and, as she came through security, one of our members of staff said she had some scissors in her hand luggage.

"She said that she didn't but, when we found them, she actually didn't even know they were there."

She added: "Our security team here has won awards in the past and obviously nothing gets past them."

In her Sunday newspaper column, Ms Jonsson said a big thank-you to airport chiefs for recovering her scissors.

"They had snuck their way into a secret compartment of my make-up bag - I'm ever so grateful to the people who tracked them down," she said.

And she added: "Whoever said security is lax at domestic airports? These boys don't miss a thing."