More travel misery expected as freezing fog returns to the UK

The Met Office said overnight fog may cause fresh disruption to air travel, after thousands of would-be fliers across southern England faced cancellations and delays on Monday.

The new "severe" warning covers all of England, except for the North East, and south-east Wales and will remain in place until 11am.

Freezing fog is expected to re-form overnight and become "widespread" across parts of south-west England, south-east Wales and south-west Midlands, with dense patches likely to form elsewhere.

It is expected to slowly thin and lift during Tuesday, but may persist in some areas throughout the day, the Met Office said.

On Monday around 100 flights were cancelled at Heathrow Airport, while there was also disruption at Gatwick, London City, Stansted and Southampton airports.

A Heathrow spokesman said a similar number of flights were expected to be cancelled on Tuesday and apologised to passengers who may be affected by the weather.

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The freezing fog is expected to cause further misery for air passengers travelling today

Passengers should check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport

Heathrow spokesman

He said: "With Heathrow operating at more than 99 per cent capacity, there are no gaps in the schedule that can be used for delayed flights and as a result, some passengers may experience disruption to their journeys.

"Passengers should check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport."

A Gatwick spokeswoman offered the same advice and added: "Air traffic control restrictions imposed due to fog across the South East and Europe may cause some delays to flights."

FOG causes DISRUPTION across Southern England
Mon, January 23, 2017

Dense fog has caused travel disruption across southern England, with thousands of air passengers facing cancellations and delays.

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A London bus makes its way over Westminster Bridge in London

Edinburgh Airport advised passengers to contact their airlines after flights towards the south of the UK were affected on Monday.

Bristol Airport said flights were operating as normal while Stansted said it had no cancellations yet, but urged passengers to contact their airlines for the latest information.

Road users were also being warned of difficult driving conditions after Dorset Police reported 31 collisions on Monday morning – six times more than would occur at that time on an average weekday.

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There was also disruption at Gatwick, London City, Stansted and Southampton airports

The force is urging motorists to take extra care on Tuesday, while the Met Office warned journeys were likely to take longer than usual because of the adverse conditions.

Meanwhile, ferries running to and from the Isle of Wight between Lymington and Yarmouth have been suspended until mid-morning on Tuesday due to dense fog, Wightlink Ferries said.

It is advising customers booked on that route to re-book via Portsmouth and Fishbourne, and is providing coaches for foot passengers hoping to travel on the alternative service.

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