Baggage checkers at Gatwick have allegedly helped themselves to items worth more than £100,000 from holidaymakers' suitcases.

Police questioned seven security screening staff held after a series of co-ordinated raids at the airport and at workers' homes.

Laptop computers, cameras, CDs, watches and mobile phones were seized.

Detectives believe passports, credit cards and even replica David Beckham football kit have been stolen by staff employed to search bags for bombs.

The haul was described by one senior officer as "possibly the tip of the iceberg".

Detective Chief Inspector Sharon Rowe, who led a 12-month undercover operation in the run-up to yesterday's raids, said the scale of theft was alarming and raised further security concerns.

She said: "If you can take something out of a bag you can be bribed into putting something in.

"What has happened in Spain is dreadful and we just don't want this to happen at Gatwick."

Some 120 officers were involved in the swoop, the biggest operation of its kind in the airport's history.

The seven men under arrest, from Crawley and Redhill, are employees of Initial Aviation Security, which carries out bag screening in the North Terminal.

More arrests are expected as the investigation continues.

Ms Rowe said: "They have targeted items and have been able to take what they want.

"This will send huge reverberations around the airport community."

It is believed the thefts were carried out by individual members of staff and there is no suggestion of an organised snatching operation.

Tony Stephens, a general manager for Initial - part of Rentokil Initial - said the company employed hundreds of people at Gatwick.

It had been unaware of the police operation until the raids yesterday.

The investigation was triggered by British Airways, which called the police in after an escalation in the number of complaints about items disappearing from luggage.

The seven baggage handlers have been released on bail while police investigations continue.