A British Airways plane was forced to land moments after taking off from Gatwick airport when parts fell from its undercarriage.

A 2ft section broke away as the jet took off with 117 passengers on board.

The Genoa-bound flight was ordered to return to Gatwick after runway staff noticed parts of the plane on the ground.

It is believed part of the wheel doors had broken away.

The passengers on the 10.30am flight yesterday were led directly to a standby plane which flew them to Genoa.

A spokesman for the airline said there was no panic on board.

He said: "It was not an emergency procedure. The captain told the passengers they were returning purely as a precaution and nobody was fazed.

"The plane landed safely and uneventfully. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

The aircraft has been taken out of service for examination.

An investigation was launched last night to find out why part of the landing gear fell away.

A spokesman said planes had been forced to land in similar circumstances before but only as standard measures of precaution.

He said: "There have been occasions in the last six months when planes have been forced to land but as they are not emergencies we are often not notified.

"In this case there was no incident as regards the passengers' safety."