A service engineer found £100,000 worth of cocaine hidden in a British Airways plane toilet. The stash was found while the Boeing plane was undergoing routine checks in a hangar at Gatwick Airport.

The plane had recently touched down from Orlando, Florida, and the cocaine was spotted behind a panel in the toilet. The engineer called the police immediately and an investigation has now been launched by Border Force officials and the National Crime Agency. A source said the block of cocaine had been "well hidden" and was set to be retrieved by someone. They added that it was likely hidden by a member of staff.

As reported by The Sun, the source said: "This is an astonishing find — and a serious security breach. Someone has smuggled it on to the flight so it’s very worrying, and it could potentially have been a more dangerous substance.

"They were hoping to pick it up and recover it in the UK but were undone when the flight went for its service. The block had been well hidden for someone to retrieve later.

"Whoever it was got unlucky, because the plane was taken into a hangar for a check-over, like a car’s MoT. That’s when the find was made — and it was in a panel behind a bin in the toilet.

"It’s quite likely to have been hidden there by a member of staff of some sort — either a fight attendant or baggage handler or cleaner.

"It’s unlikely to have been a member of the public because they would not have been able to get on the plane to pick it up later.

“Whoever it is, I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes now as they’ve lost something of value to criminals.”

British Airways did not comment because of the ongoing police investigation. A Government spokesperson said: "Those who attempt to smuggle illegal drugs into the UK should be in no doubt Border Force will find them."