THE Government’s restrictions on hand luggage for aircraft passengers came under attack at the Last Night of the Proms on Saturday.

Mark Elder, the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s guest conductor, said that the restrictions were causing great difficulties for musicians, who could not risk checking delicate and valuable instruments into the aircraft’s hold.

He told the audience at the Royal Albert Hall: “I think we would all agree that the time has come to put an end to this unfairness. Otherwise it seems to me that next year we should all look forward to Concerto for Laptop and Orchestra.”

His comments followed a letter in The Times last week from seven musical luminaries protesting about the restrictions.

Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for Transport, hinted yesterday that the rules on luggage size would be relaxed in the next few weeks, but declined to give a date.

He said: “There is an emerging threat in terms of liquid explosives, and we have to reflect that in terms of the arrangements. But we are working very hard both with airport operators and airlines to see if further steps can be taken.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been urging the Department for Transport to give dispensation to musicians. The Musicians Union plans to lobby Parliament over the restrictions, claiming they are damaging the livelihoods of musicians.

A spokesman for the union said that many musicians would rather cancel their tours than risk placing valuable instruments in the hold.

“It is not just because of baggage handling; it is to do with changes in pressure and temperature in the hold,” he said. “It is a risk putting instruments in there because they could get damaged — no insurance company will cover it.

“We are planning to table an early motion outlining the problem and calling for a dispensation on all flights to let musicians carry instruments into the cabin.

“Nobody expects a slackening in security but the fact that musical instruments have to go into the hold means that musicians will just not fly.”

After the security alert last month, only one item of hand luggage, no bigger than a laptop computer case, may be taken on board aircraft departing from British airports.

Mr Alexander told Sunday Live on Sky News that he had attended meetings with international partners and airlines and airports in Britain to look at the possibility of relaxing the limit on the size of hand baggage and the restrictions on taking certain liquids on board.

Further meetings are expected during the next week to determine whether any changes can be made.

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