Tony Aguirre expected to be offered a traditional ‘pat-down’ search instead.

But he was not allowed to board the plane from Manchester to Zurich and was escorted out of the airport by police.

Mr Aguirre, an eye specialist at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, said he was treated like a criminal because he was not prepared to accept a ‘radiation assault’.

He said: ‘X-rays are known to cause cancer and I think somebody will get cancer from this body scanner whether it’s me or someone else.’

It is mandatory for passengers to go through the full body scanners at Manchester, Gatwick and Heathrow airports, and staff there have been told that anyone who refuses should not be allowed to board.

The X-ray device scans through clothes, creating an image of the naked body and revealing any hidden objects.’