Dozens of flights cancelled and hundreds delayed sparking travel chaos at major UK airports as thick fog sweeps Britain
DOZENS of UK flights have been delayed or cancelled as thick fog continues to sweep major airports across the country.
The lingering fog has sparked dozens of delays at Heathrow, Luton, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester airports today with thousands of passengers affected.
On Saturday, 19 flights at Heathrow have been cancelled so far with another 455 delayed, while at Gatwick, 320 are delayed and 16 have been cancelled.
Nats, the UK's main air traffic control provider, said temporary air restrictions would remain in place until Sunday in areas with low visibility.
Patches of thick fog could reduce visibility to just 100 metres in some areas, the Met Office said, as passengers have been advised to contact their airlines for updated information.
Sunday is expected to be Gatwick's busiest day during the holiday period, with 769 flights planned.
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Gatwick Airport said on Saturday: "Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility.
"Some flights may be delayed throughout the day. London Gatwick apologises for any inconvenience."
A spokesperson added: "Passengers should contact their airline for further information."
Flights at Stansted airport have also been affected by the weather conditions.
Live departure boards showed delays at Heathrow, Luton and Manchester airports.
A Ryanair flight landing at Teesside airport was diverted more than 300 miles away to Dublin yesterday.
Among those affected by cancellations were a couple who have been forced to prolong their Christmas visit to family on the Isle of Man by two days.
Kiera Quayle, from Colchester, Essex, was due to fly from Isle of Man Airport to Gatwick on Friday evening with her husband after visiting his family.
But their flight was delayed by three hours before being cancelled entirely at around 10pm, with their next available journey on Sunday.
"Our five days has turned to seven, it looks like," Ms Quayle, 30, said.
"It's frustrating and stressful but I overheard a few families who are now missing holidays and work who have it worse at this point."
Meanwhile, Britain's two busiest stations will shut for a total of nine days - sparking rail chaos for millions.
London's Liverpool Street station is shut for "major engineering work" until January 2.
Paddington station on the other side of central London is also closed until tomorrow.
On the West Coast main line the electricity supply has failed between Watford Junction and Milton Keynes Central.
National Rail said: “Trains may be cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 40 minutes. Disruption is expected to continue until 12 noon.”
Senior forecaster Craig Snell said the situation should improve on Saturday night.
“Tonight, we should start to see a little bit more in the way of breeze developing, so that should start to disperse some of the poorer visibilities across the rest of the UK,” he said.
“So we might start to see some of the fog and low cloud begin to lift as the night goes on, but generally with plenty of cloud around we’re not really expecting any issues with frost or anything like that.”
On Sunday, south-east England could have a “dull start which is expected to brighten with highs of 12C predicted, he added.
Tonight will also see a mix of light rain and cloudy, murky weather to the south.
Later on it will be clearer, cooler and breezier - before more rain arrives in north west Scotland.
Heavy rain will slowly edge south across Scotland tomorrow, forecasters said.
Elsewhere it will be breezier and brighter than of late, with some sunny spells.
A little light rain is also possible over western hills up and down the country.
Met Office forecast in full
Today
It will be a cloudy and murky day for much of England and Wales, with patchy fog and drizzle.
Rain across Scotland will slowly clear southeastwards through the day, with sunny spells and blustery showers following behind.
Tonight
Light rain continues to move southeast with cloudy, murky conditions to the south of it.
Clearer, cooler and breezier conditions following, but rain arriving across northwest Scotland.
Sunday
Rain, heavy at times, slowly edges south across Scotland.
Elsewhere, breezier than of late and brighter with some sunny spells.
A little light rain possible over western hills.
Monday to Wednesday
Windy on Monday with outbreaks of rain.
Remaining unsettled over New Year's Eve and into the new year with rain and hill snow in the north.
Turning colder for most.
Met Office expert Neil Armstrong said: "From Sunday we will start to see some heavy rain affecting northwestern parts of Scotland.
"After a brief respite, further rain and strong winds will be in place on Monday and Tuesday across Scotland, as another area of low-pressure approaches.
"This may be accompanied by some heavy snowfall in the mountains and perhaps to lower elevations.
"With such varied and potentially fast-moving weather conditions it is important for people to keep up to date with the forecast."
A yellow rain warning will be in force for the whole of Monday, December 30.
It will last until one minute before midnight on New Year's Eve - expiring just before the start of 2025.
There is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses.
Homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.
Where flooding occurs, there is a slight chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services.
Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.
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There is a small chance that some communities will become cut off by flooded roads.
And fast-flowing or deep floodwater could pose a "danger to life", forecasters warn.