Airport hero's plea over attack

The 31-year-old became a star overnight after he helped police take on a man who was in a blazing jeep which had been driven into the airport terminal.

Now known by his nickname of Smeato, he has been feted from London to New York, mingling with top politicians and celebrities at glitzy bashes.

He has received many awards and it was revealed last week that he is to be given the Queen's Gallantry Medal, one of the highest civilian honours for bravery.

But the airport worker, from Erskine, Renfrewshire, told how he feels guilty about all the attention directed at him.

Many others who helped out in the attack, who Mr Smeaton feels did more than he did, are not getting the recognition they deserve, he said.

He welcomed the awards given earlier this month to the first 15 firefighters at the scene - but still felt more could be done.

"I do feel guilty. Everyone should be getting the same as me," he said.

"They did exactly the same as me, probably a bit more. If I put myself in their position, I wouldn't be particularly happy if someone else was grabbing all the attention."

He went on: "Those firefighters trained their hoses on the fire. They were right beside it and parked their fire engines just a few yards away. And there are all the people who got the airport up and running again, all the staff who had to deal with annoyed passengers."