The 68-year-old chairman of North Cheam Traders' Association has joked he must look like the albino brother of Bin Laden after he was stopped as a suspected terrorist.

John Hall, who owns an £800,000 property in Surrey and runs a leather goods business in London Road, North Cheam, said he was both amused and annoyed when police pulled him over on Saturday, May 26.

Despite producing his passport when stopped on Brighton Road, Tadworth, officers still searched his vehicle before giving him a form saying the reason he was stopped was terrorism.

"At all times I co-operated with the police because I had nothing to hide. However, when I was given an official document by the police, I was astonished and queried the fact that, of the 10 reasons for having stopped me, the one chosen was number seven, terrorism," Mr Hall said.

"As I have a beard, I wondered if they thought I might be the albino brother of Bin Laden. My friends and business colleagues show amusement or disbelief or sometimes both.

"In my opinion it was a waste of police time. The instant they realised I lived locally, that should have been it.

"At one point they said would you describe yourself as a white and British. I said, Well, sometimes people think I'm black and Jamaican.' Of course I'm very white and very British."

Mr Hall was driving an aged red Escort van from his home in the village of Outwood to work when he noticed a police car behind him.

The police car then switched on its blue lights and Mr Hall pulled over on the A217 at 8.20am.

An officer walked up to the car and told him to turn off the ignition and stand outside the vehicle because he'd like to ask him some questions.

The policeman asked for identification and Mr Hall gave him his passport which he happened to have on him.

After looking at the passport, he was asked to open the back of the vehicle and police made a detailed examination of the contents - five flattened cardboard boxes to be recycled and two carrier bags containing emergency items in case of breakdown.

"The moment I could show them a passport, they should have let me go on my way," Mr Hall said.

"I could see no reason whatsoever to continue and search for semtex or bombs or whatever. I felt that particular crew had not reached their target for terrorism stops so they thought now we have stopped him, let's go through the motions'."

A spokesman for Surrey Police said the search had been carried out under anti-terrorism legislation.

"The search was conducted without prejudice and the whole process lasted less than 10 minutes. Nothing suspicious was found and the driver was allowed to go on his way.

"Surrey Police conducted 13,005 stop and searches in the 2006/07 financial year, so this one search in an average of around 1,100 per month is in no way significant."

  • What to you think? Is this a waste of police time or should Mr Hall just accept the police were doing their job?