A lead cylinder containing potentially lethal radioactive material was discovered at Stansted Airport after being missing for 10 days.

The package of irradium disappeared after leaving Boston, Massachusetts, on a flight bound for a construction firm in Mexico.

Government regulators said that the contents would have killed anyone who opened the 200lb cylinder.

It was eventually found at Stansted on Monday after a hunt along the scheduled route of the cylinder for radiation leakage.

Stansted Airport spokeswoman Rona Young said: "Any major cargo operator that delivers packages will have ensured that all relevant safety regulations have been adhered to.

"These companies are highly professional and know how to carry these goods. If there is any problem with a package, Stansted has its own airport emergency services which can reach it within two or three minutes.

"There was no problem with this package and it went missing and got sent on to the right destination in the same way as passenger luggage occasionally does. Just because it had gone to the wrong airport did not make it a safety problem."

The cylinder contained material used to measure weaknesses in bridges and other structures.

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