"A report had been received from air crew that a suspicious object had been found in the cabin by a passenger, the decision was made to divert the aircraft to Stansted as a precautionary measure," Kim Perks of Essex Police said.

A spokeswoman for Thomson said the phone did not belong to any of the passengers or crew onboard the plane.

"The pilot was informed and put emergency procedures into action as a precaution," the spokeswoman said. She did not say why a cell phone would be considered suspicious.