Spent some time pondering whether to post this here or in the Travel Security Forum... but I thought the UK Forum might be a better place because it's where the UK residents and regular UK visitors tend to hang about.

I have travelled by air quite a bit since the current rules on carrying liquids came in back in November, from a total of 13 airports including six in the UK and Channel Islands - LCY, STN, LHR, NWI, SOU and ACI.

One item I have carried in my hand baggage in all of these trips has been a 100ml plastic bottle filled with water... which, until this morning, has never attracted any undue attention at security.

This morning I was flying from ACI (Alderney) to SOU, a regular trip for me which I have taken several times since November.

When I went through security I was told that my water bottle was not allowed!

I asked why, and was told that only bottles with a manufacturer's label on them are allowed through security.

I asked "since when?", mentioning that I had travelled with this bottle dozens of times since November, and was told that this was (allegedly) a new rule that was brought in at the beginning of March.

I must say that this is the first I've heard of such a new rule - there was no mention of it on the official leaflet I picked up on arrival at SOU, nor have I found any mention of such a rule on the BAA web site.

Was this guy just making things up - or is there really a new rule against carrying liquids in plain plastic bottles?