Passengers have been removed from a Heathrow-bound flight from Dubai following a bomb threat.

The Virgin Atlantic staff removed passengers to allow for extra security procedures following the threat.

The flight number is VS401, which was due to depart Dubai at 10.53am local time, and arrive in London at 5pm this afternoon.

'Our customers travelling on the VS401 from Dubai to London Heathrow have temporarily disembarked the aircraft for additional security check,' a Virgin Atlantic spokesman told The Sun.

'This is purely as a precautionary measure as the safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority and we’re planning to have everyone on their way as quickly as possible.'

One passenger who was on board the aircraft told The Daily Mail: 'We were just moving and then the captain called his flight crew immediately and they all ran up the front.'

'Ten minutes later we were told to get off.'

Manchester's Victoria Coach Station was also evacuated this morning over a similar threat, but was later reopened to the public.