Work was being carried out to remove rubber from the runway

The flight crew of the Excel Airways plane were unaware the runway had a reduced length while work was done.

As the Boeing 737 passed the crest of the runway the pilots saw the vehicles, said the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report.

The report said the near-miss was a "a serious incident".

The captain of the plane, which was flying to Kos with 190 passengers, thought the work was being carried out in an area "outside that affecting their take-off performance" the report added.

It was too late to bring the plane to a stop, so the flight crew had no option but to continue the take-off and believed they had cleared the vehicles by some margin.

Issues 'resolved'

The incident took place on the afternoon of 16 July 2003 as work was being carried out to remove rubber deposits at the far end of the runway.

The AAIB report said the crew did not realise the runway was a reduced length, despite being informed work was going on and air traffic control passing on information on the take-off distance available.

The AAIB said: "The serious incident which triggered this investigation resulted from a non-adherence to established procedures by the flight crew, rather than a failing in the procedures themselves.

"The operator took early and appropriate action to prevent a recurrence by the crew involved."

It also said that issues were raised over the action taken by the airport and the air traffic control, but that the majority of issues presented in the report had now been resolved.