A man has stabbed himself in the head at Heathrow Airport in front of horrified passengers, ITV reported on Thursday.

The passenger started self-harming with a knife, purchased from a store in Heathrow Terminal 5, at around 5.45pm on Wednesday evening.

Other passengers started running away "screaming and asking for security", he added.

The man looked very distressed but did not seem to make any attempt to hurt anyone apart from himself.

This went on for about five minutes before security and police arrived. The man was covered in blood down his top.

Other passengers reportedly tried to stop the man hurting himself before the emergency services arrived.

The man suffered "non-life threatening injuries" and is being treated in a hospital in west London, a Scotland Yard spokesperson said.

Police are investigating but no other person is being sought in connection with the incident.

No other passenger was injured during the incident, a Heathrow spokesperson confirmed.

Sources: MENA