HM Customs & Excise chiefs have used part of a GB pound 200 million anti-smuggling grant bestowed by the Government to install the system, which is programmed to detect chemical substances and powders – and can even distinguish between heroine and cocaine.
Officials believe the scanner will slash the search time needed for, say, a 40 foot-long trailer. Carrying out a full-scale, intensive security check on such a vehicle would normally take anything up to two days. The scanner is said to be able to conduct the same search in just three minutes.
Local HM Customs & Excise official John Powell told SMT: "The new machine can identify all traditional Class A drugs, as well as firearms and explosives. Even if tobacco were hidden inside insulation, the scanner would still be able to detect it."
One of the scanner’s main long-term roles will be the close inspection of parcels and large items of freight moved at night.
