UPS barred from screening air cargo

The parcel delivery giant UPS has been barred from screening air cargo at some of its facilities in Britain after the Government said it had identified security problems.

The company, which has been at the centre of two major security alerts in recent months, has been forced to stop processing air freight at certain sites for at least the past week following an inspection by the Department for Transport earlier this month.

The Independent understands that one of the issues raised by the DfT was procedures for screening employees. UPS, which said it was addressing the DfT's concerns, warned that some deliveries would be delayed but said services should return to normal by early next week. The DfT said the ban would last until UPS "has satisfied current security requirements".