UPS faces ban over security

The Department for Transport (DfT) said they have decided to impose the ban on the UPS over security fears. "The safety of the travelling public is paramount and our security regime is kept under constant review," it said.

"We can confirm that, following careful consideration, the department has restricted the number of sites in the UK at which UPS Ltd. are permitted to screen air cargo until it has satisfied current security requirements. For obvious security reasons we will not comment on the details," the DfT noted.

Last October, Leicestershire police discovered a bomb disguised as an ink cartridge on a UPS cargo plane at East Midlands airport.

Scotland Yard later said the bomb held at least 300g of the powerful explosive PETN and was timed to go off over the eastern seaboard of the United States.

The discovery led to new security measures over the transfer of cargo across Britain.

Officials had found another device on a plane in Dubai at the time which they said was linked to the bomb discovered in Britain. They said the two were at least 50 times more powerful than would be enough to blow a hole in the body of an aircraft.

"As part of a scheduled review by the DfT of UPS procedures and employment documentation related to security, the DfT identified areas of concern that UPS now is working to address," a UPS spokesman told the state-run BBC.

"Some facilities have been temporarily taken offline, which in some cases has led to delays in the movement of packages. UPS has activated contingency plans, communicated with customers and expects service levels to return to normal early next week," he explained.

“UPS continues to assess the operation of its UK network and, in co-operation with the DfT, may refine it to ensure an even more efficient level of service to its customers," the spokesman added