Homecoming Brits face airport delays as passport readers fail because the SUN IS SHINING

Few British holidaymakers would be saddened to see the sun shining as they arrive back on home soil.

But good weather is causing a nightmare for passengers at Stansted Airport (pictured below) because dazzling sunlight is allegedly playing havoc with its hi-tech e-passport readers.

1

The airport's passport hall faces west, meaning it is drenched with beautiful light whenever the sun begins to set.

However, the rays are reportedly stopping the passport reading machines from scanning people's faces properly.

Ralph Gross, from the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, said facial recognition devices were often flummoxed by sunlight.

“It’s got better at dealing with challenging illumination situations, but it will still struggle in this light," .

"As long as the cameras are set up this way, they are going to struggle with the accuracy rate in this situation.

"It’s the same way as any camera will struggle when it is pointed into very bright sunlight.

"The human eye is very well-adapted to handle bright lights, and the cameras are getting better but they are still not perfect."

Related Stories

Didn't Roo have fun?

Wayne and Coleen Rooney look glum as they return from week on yacht in Ibiza

WHAT WAS HE THINKING?

Cops shame man who carried THIS gun-shaped iPhone case into Stansted Airport

TWIN TERROR BLASTS

At least ten killed by two jihadi car bombs targeting military base near Yemen airport

QUEUE GOTTA BE KIDDING?

'Chaos' at Manchester Airport baggage reclaim and passport control as staff are swamped

Biometric passports store data about travellers' appearance and are designed to cut down on forgery and fraud.

Normally, this speeds up passport control because a computer is used to scan details, rather than a human.

Yet the technology doesn't always work when the sun is pouring in through Stansted's windows.

To combat the issue, the airport has installed 15 more e-passport reading gates, doubling the total number to 30.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Border Force is working with Stansted airport to resolve this issue, which has no impact on border security or the experience for the vast majority of passengers passing through passport control.”