British police said on Tuesday they had arrested two men on suspicion of making a bomb threat after a flight from Poland to Ireland was forced to divert to Britain.

Essex Police in southeast England said two men were held at Stansted Airport late on Monday after a Ryanair flight landed following "reports of a security alert". Two fighter jets scrambled from a nearby military base to escort the plane to the airport.

The budget airline said a note had been found in one of the plane's toilets claiming explosives were on board. But a search found nothing suspicious on board the aircraft, which had been flying from the Polish city Krakow to the Irish capital Dublin.

"Two men - aged 47 and 26 - have been arrested on suspicion of making threats to endanger an aircraft and are currently in custody," Essex police said. "We appreciate the patience and understanding of everyone involved."