Harry Potter in airport security issue

Harry Potter author JK Rowling was stopped by airport security when she attempted to walk on a plane from the US holding the manuscript to the seventh book in the boy-wizard series.

Ms Rowling ardently refused to part with the manuscript after airport staff told her that it would have to be checked into the hold.

Eventually security staff backed down and what is widely believed to be the final chapter in the Potter saga was allowed to stay firmly in Ms Rowling's grasp.

The author noted on her website: "The heightened security restrictions on the airlines made the journey back from New York interesting, as I refused to be parted from the manuscript of book seven.

"A large part of it is handwritten and there was no copy of anything I had done while in the US.

"They let me take it on thankfully, bound up in elastic bands. I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't - sailed home probably."

Ms Rowling had been attending a reading session in New York, organised by Stephen King, in which fans had the chance to ask her questions.

Flight restrictions are still in place on trans-Atlantic flights after the alleged plot to blow up planes bound for the US from the UK last month.

Ms Rowling is one of the richest women in world after experiencing phenomenal success with the Harry Potter series.

The fifth book is currently under-going its conversion to a film in the continued movie franchise.