Biometric immigration live at Gatwick

Regular travellers can by-pass queues with pre-registered iris scans

Iris scans speed immigration queues

The Iris Recognition Immigration System (Iris) being developed as part of the government's eBorders programme went live at Gatwick airport yesterday.

Frequent travelers to the UK who pre-register on Iris are recognized by a camera scan at immigration control and can by-pass queues.

The system first went live at Heathrow in 2005 and is now up and running in nine airport terminals including Manchester and Birmingham.

Passengers enrolling on Iris have their eye photographed and stored on a database, linked to their passport details and immigration status.

The scheme is part of the wider eBorders programme, which ultimately aims to check the details of all travelers coming into UK territory against government watch lists.

Immigration minister Liam Byne said: 'We are significantly toughening Britain's borders. Iris recognition barriers combine speed and maximum security to let positively vetted passengers travel faster.'