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A passenger who witnessed Easyjet staff being removed from a plane after an argument has said those on board were "totally aghast".

The flight from London Gatwick to Belfast was delayed by 90 minutes while the two staff involved were replaced.

Easyjet have apologised for the delay and said: "The safety and welfare of our passengers and crew is Easyjet's highest priority.

"In order to deliver this cabin crew need to be able to work as a team."

TV presenter Dan Lobb, who was travelling on flight EZY835 on Wednesday afternoon, described the row as "really unprofessional".

'It's all kicked off'

The former tennis professional was sitting at the front of the plane and overheard a member of staff explaining the disagreement to the crew's manager.

"We were just taxiing towards the runway when one of the crew approached the front to complain about another," said Mr Lobb, who was travelling to Belfast ahead of filming the UK's Strongest Man.

"It sounded like the disagreement was over the way one staff member was packaging or storing bottles of water.

"It was something really petty.

"The manager told them to try and make it up and get on with their jobs, but a few minutes later, the crew member came back to the front and said: 'It's all kicked off again.'"

A decision was then made to remove the two members of staff from the plane and replace them.

Mr Lobb said: "The pilot then came out and apologised for the situation, he said he admitted it was a little bit silly, but said that passenger safety was paramount.

"The fallout seemed really unprofessional - we've all worked with people we don't get on with."

In a statement on Wednesday night, Easyjet confirmed the delay had been down to a "verbal disagreement" between staff.

On Thursday, it said it was investigating the incident.