Is your little plastic bag sealed shut? Are all bottles, pots and tubes under 100ml? Have you emptied your water bottle? This little routine will be carried out by hundreds of thousands of passengers travelling from UK airports this summer.

The 100ml rule has been in place since 2006 following the uncovering of a plot targeting transatlantic planes travelling from Heathrow to North America in which the terrorists had planned to detonate liquid explosives on board.

Yet 16 years later, technology is more sophisticated, and some argue that the introduction of higher quality scanners at security would cut out the need for this hassle, and queue, creating liquids limit. For now, the rule remains at most UK airports, and could add to waiting times.

John Holland-Kaye, the chief executive of Heathrow, recently claimed that passengers carrying too much liquid in their hand luggage and not being aware of the rules for taking liquids through security has added to queues at the airport’.

Among the rules passengers might not be aware of is the limit of one resealable bag of liquids per person.

Meanwhile, solid food, as opposed to honeys, syrups, jams or pickled vegetables, should pass through security without question. Different rules do apply for boarding planes bound for the US, however.

If you are taking liquids in your hand luggage, you must typically stick to these rules:

Liquids in containers that are larger than 100ml generally cannot pass through security, even if the container is only half full. However, there are exemptions, including:

Yes, liquid and semi-liquid foods are included in the 100ml rule. This includes:

Yes, in most instances, you can take solid foods on a flight from the UK, which is handy if you want to pack yourself some sandwiches for the journey and avoid a last-minute dash for a meal deal or rely on a plane-bought panini.

However, different rules can apply for travel to certain countries, including the US.

Check with your airline before you travel.

Liquids, such as a toiletries, bottled water and soft drinks bought in the terminal shops after security can generally be taken on board.

If there is a passenger on board with a severe nut allergy, then you may be asked not to take, or open, nuts or food containing nuts on a flight.

There may also be rules in your destination about the transportation of food into the country, which could affect whether you can keep certain types of food with you when you leave the plane.

Yes, liquids bought in the airport or on a plane (such as duty free) can be taken through security, so long as:

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