A piece of what may be part of something which fell from an aeroplane over Langton Green near Tunbridge Wells on Friday has been found in a churchyard.

The vicar of All Saints' Church in Langton Green, Rev Michael Gentry, discovered the 2ft long piece of metal in the churchyard in the village yesterday.

He handed it to the authorities and is waiting to have it verified.

The Egypt-bound Thomas Cook aircraft had to turn back to Gatwick Airport on Friday after the evacuation slide dropped off.

Investigators at the Civil Aviation Authority have been drafted in after the essential part plummeted to the ground.

Witnesses had seen the 13ft x 3ft (4m x 1m) part dropping from the plane over Langton Green at around 11.15am.

Mr Gentry told the KM: "It was an unusual piece of metal, around 2ft long, so it may have been part of it.

"It was right by the gates, so it may have fallen in the road and someone placed it there out of the way. It had had an impact with something. Nothing was damaged in the churchyard."

Kent Police collected the item on behalf of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

A spokesman said: "We had a call at 5.20pm last night to Langton Green where someone thought they had found an item possibly from the plane."

Passenger jet TCX1638 left Gatwick Airport on Friday morning bound for Hurghada with 237 passengers on board, but turned back when it emerged there was a fault with the plane.

Part of the aircraft - an over wing slide unit - is believed to have fallen off.

The AAIB launched an inquiry and Thomas Cook also said it had begun a full investigation.