The girl accused Heathrow Airport security staff of “robbery in broad daylight”. £90 worth of lipsticks from a famous brand were confiscated because they were found to be liquid.
Shadia Black from Switzerland spent two days in London with hand luggage. When the girl went through security at Heathrow Airport Terminal 2, she was stopped by staff.
The law student and fashion model told MailOnline that staff initially wanted to confiscate her expensive £250 perfume set and face wash before they agreed to three unused lipsticks worth around £90.
Shadia said this infuriated her, given that Heathrow’s website states that solid lipsticks do not count as liquid.
“This is an abuse of position. Confiscated items are not thrown away but simply put aside. Rules are rules. I didn’t like how the employees did it. I was furious,” said the blogger.
Shadia added that she left three lipsticks with security because she didn’t want to miss her flight. She noted that she wants “people who have that kind of power to be in control”: “I’m furious. I’ve never been this angry before.”
“Airport staff rob people brutally. They tell you you have too much liquid in your bag, then they take it and put it aside instead of in the trash. They probably want to keep the stuff for themselves. It’s robbery,” Shadia claims.
When asked about the incident and the fate of the confiscated property at Heathrow, an airport spokesman initially stated that “what is confiscated is not retained or reused.” However, the airport later informed Shadiyeh that her lipsticks may have been stored by Mail and Fly and had not been destroyed.
The Mail and Fly service is designed to help passengers recover property confiscated by security. The service says it stores items for three months and if no one comes to claim them, they donate them to charity.