Posted 24 Feb 2009

The UK government has announced that it plans to set up a surveillance unit in Manchester, which will keep track of the holiday plans of 250 million Brits.

In a bid to heighten safety and prevent terrorist activities, the undercover operation will store the travel details of those coming into and out of the country over the course of ten years.

Information that will be stored includes people’s flight numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, luggage details and travelling companions.

Phil Woolas, the UK’s immigration minister, commented: "Our high-tech electronic borders system will allow us to count all passengers in and out of the UK and targets those who aren’t willing to play by our rules."

Meanwhile, the British Airline Pilots Association said that its members are not prepared to cooperate with the government’s plans to replace passports with identity cards in the future.

Category: General Travel