A passenger was forced off a Ryanair flight from Rome to Milan because she refused to move her metre-long plush crocodile which was blocking an emergency exit, airport sources said.

The flight, delayed by the squabble between the airline flight attendant and the passenger, finally took off after she got off the plane, along with her inanimate crocodile.

Ryanair said in a statement the passenger was asked to leave for refusing repeated requests to handle her hand luggage as required under flight safety rules.

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