Sol Campbell in airport drama

Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell was at the centre of an airport drama when his plane overran the runway and ended on the grass verge.

A total of 44 passengers and crew were on board the Air France flight from Paris Charles De Gaulle which experienced problems when landing at Southampton Airport, Hants, at 9.34pm yesterday.

Smoke was seen coming from the tyres and the Canadair Regional Jet came off the runway and stopped on the grass verge.

Fire crews and paramedics were called to attend but were not required to assist, according to an airport spokeswoman.

A spokesman for Portsmouth confirmed former England and Arsenal defender Campbell was on the flight but did not wish to comment on the incident.

The airport spokeswoman said: “We had 44 passengers and crew who all came off the aircraft safely. The emergency services did attend as a precaution.”

She added the airport had suffered a few delays this morning as a result.

Passenger Steve Miller, 63, from Havant, told the Southern Daily Echo: “It was all really calm. Nobody realised how serious it was until we saw how lucky we were.”