Boeing 777s with the same engine as the plane which caught fire after take-off in the US this weekend will be banned from entering UK airspace.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the 777s with Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines will be prevented from entering UK airspace temporarily.

The US plane-maker has already urged airlines to ground all 777s with the engine which exploded after take-off from Denver, Colorado.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has ordered United Airlines to ramp up inspections of the aircraft after a flight made an emergency landing at Denver International Airport on Saturday as pieces of the engine fell onto residential areas below.

No crew or passengers were hurt and the flight landed safely.