Freezing fog sparks travel misery with hundreds of flights cancelled and chaos the roads as visibility is reduced to just 100 metres and toxic smog swamps the capital at Heathrow and City Airports
DENSE fog has caused travel chaos this morning as hundreds of flights have been cancelled across Heathrow and City Airport.
A severe weather warning for fog has been issued causing a number of problems for those hoping to fly this morning after temperatures plummeted to -8C over the weekend.
London is also on high alert as pollution levels in some areas have reached the severe "black" warning.
The high readings today were recorded just before 6am at Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School in the City area, Marylebone Road in Westminster and three sites in Camden.
This meant outdoor activity was reduced for children at Sir John Cass’s, in Aldgate, after the high reading.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for fog in Wales, the North West, Midlands, South and East of England.
Heathrow Airport has cancelled more than 100 flights with London City cancelling 37.
Gatwick has said five flights have been cancelled and added air traffic control has imposed restrictions because of the bad weather.
Stansted is yet to cancel any flights but jet-setters have been warned to check before they travel.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was one of those hit by the disruption.
She had been due to attend an engagement in London on Monday morning, but was delayed at Glasgow Airport because a small number of flights south were cancelled.
Flights from Edinburgh and Aberdeen Airports were also affected by the freezing fog in London.
The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for London, south-east England and parts of south-west England for dense fog which is likely to hit this morning's rush hour with a yellow fog warning in place until 10.30am.
YOUR RIGHTS IF YOUR FLIGHT IS CANCELLED OR DELAYED
IF your flight’s been cancelled then you should be able to claim a refund or rebook.
Under EU rules if your flight is cancelled at short notice then they should give you a full refund or offer suitable alternative travel.
If your flight is delayed then you are only entitled to compensation if the delay was caused by something within the airline’s control.
Extraordinary circumstances aren’t covered but you should still try and ask the airline if they will compensate you.
If your departure is delayed for over five hours then you can choose not to travel and get a refund.
Heathrow Airport warned passengers to check their flight details before they leave home as visibility at the hub was reduced to 100 yards.
They added: "Foggy weather across the South East has reduced visibility at Heathrow.
"As a result, some passengers may experience disruption to their journeys today. Passengers should check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport.
"Heathrow's top priority is the safety of passengers and we apologise to those whose travel has been affected."
Met Office forecaster, Mark Wilson, said: "It looks like it will generally improve through the last part of the morning and into the afternoon, but one or two spots will hang on to fog for much of the rest of today."
Road users are also being warned of difficult driving conditions after freezing conditions overnight.
Temperatures dipped to their lowest in Katesbridge, Northern Ireland, where minus 6.9C (20F) was recorded.
In England a low of minus 6.2C (21F) was recorded in Northolt, around 10 miles from Heathrow.
Temperatures have dropped to their lowest point this winter, with the south east, East Anglia and the Midlands baring the brunt of the cold snap, brought by cold air from the continent.
Parts of England were not expected to see temperatures above 0C yesterday.
Widespread frost is expected this morning, as well as mist and freezing fog patches. These will linger for much of the day, especially in the south, but it will be largely dry with sunny spells and some cloud for the rest of the day.
There will be more cloud for north-west Scotland, with a little drizzle at times, but it will be dry and bright with some sunshine for the rest of Scotland. The evening will be shrouded in mist and fog.
Normal forecasts were turned on their head today with Stornoway and Lerwick in the Scottish Highlands predicted to be the warmest places in the UK.
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Dense, freezing fog is expected to settle in southern and central England overnight, with the Met Office warning it could be slow to clear on Monday, perhaps even persisting through the day in some places.
Drivers are being advised to take extra care in the foggy conditions.
Met Office forecaster Steven Keates said: “Fog is going to be the biggest headache certainly to start the week with cold weather expected to continued over the next few days.
“Central and eastern parts will be most vulnerable so London airports could be affected on Monday morning."
When heavy, lingering fog hit in December there were fatalities in horror crashes on Britain's roads.
The AA said drivers should plan ahead, with a spokesman adding: “Wear warm layers and plan your route, where possible favouring roads which have been gritted.
“Stopping distances can be 10 times greater in icy conditions, so keep your speed down and leave plenty of extra space behind the car in front.
“Avoid harsh acceleration, braking or cornering – gentle manoeuvres are key.
"It may mean you need to allow extra time for the journey – plus extra time to de-ice the car – but you will be keeping yourself and your passengers safe.
“If it’s foggy, use your fog lights if you need to – don’t rely on automatic lights, as they may not come on in fog – but remember to turn them off once visibility improves.”
The Met Office has also warned travellers that flights could be delayed - particularly in the south east and East Anglia.
There have also been warnings that pollution blown in from Europe will form a disruptive smog over the next few days.
Last week Londoners were warned to stay indoors as air pollution reached toxic levels.
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