A NORTH-EAST father has criticised airport police who detained him under anti-terrorist laws after he attended a peaceful protest.

The 32-year-old was stopped and questioned by a detective at Teesside International Airport after he got off a flight from Heathrow, on Friday.

The man, from Billingham, Teesside, had attended a Fathers 4 Justice demonstration outside 10 Downing Street and was wearing a purple wig and gown.

He has not seen his daughter for six months and is trying to get access to her through the Family Court.

He said: "I was in the baggage hall and a man asked me to follow him. He said he was a police officer and that he was questioning me under Section 7 of the Terrorist Act.

"It was basically a situation where if I didn't give him my name, date of birth and address I would have been arrested, so I had to comply."

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, believes police are abusing anti-terrorism laws to gather details on members of Fathers 4 Justice.

"I don't see why Durham Police should be allowed to stop anybody under the Terrorism Act," he said. "I'm not a terrorist - I'm a father.

"I think they are using the legislation to obtain details on me to add to a database, because I am a member of Fathers 4 Justice."

A Durham Police spokeswoman said the man was stopped under anti-terrorism legislation.

She said: "Officers have the power to stop people and obtain information. With security the way it is, people are randomly stopped. I don't think there was a particular reason and the process took minutes."

Fathers 4 Justice hit the headlines last month when two protestors threw condoms full of purple flour at Tony Blair during Prime Minister's question time.