Paralympian Horan's leg found

New Zealand Paralympic athlete Kate Horan is expected to be reunited with her lost leg in Amsterdam tomorrow.

A below-the-knee amputee, Horan couldn't carry her $10,000 running leg as she travelled to the Netherlands for the world Paralympic championships because of restrictions on carry-on luggage following terrorist threats in Britain.

She checked in her luggage, including the leg, on a short flight from London to Amsterdam.

However, a general backlog of luggage out of London's Heathrow Airport meant her luggage was stored in a warehouse with some 20,000 other pieces.

Horan had lost hope of getting her leg back in time for the championship in Assen starting on Monday (NZ time) and was planning on getting another one built before the championships.

However, she got the good news overnight that her luggage had been located and would be put on a flight to Amsterdam, New Zealand Paralympic high performance manager Helen Murphy said.

"Kate has been in Germany but she is travelling to Amsterdam and her bags will be put on a flight there. The rest of the team (in Amsterdam) will pick them up," Murphy said.

"It's a happy ending to the story."

Wellington's Horan had travelled to Germany for some warm-up events before her 100m race at the world championships.

Since British authorities foiled a terrorist plot to attack flights out of Heathrow, increased security has forced travellers to limit their carry-on luggage.

- NZPA