Freezing fog causing more travel misery today as Heathrow cancels 100 flights and ‘severe’ weather warnings are in place for most of England
FREEZING fog is causing more misery for air passengers with Heathrow Airport forced to cancel up to 100 flights as a "severe" weather is issued.
The Met Office has said overnight fog could cause fresh disruption to air travel after thousands of people across southern England faced cancellations and delays yesterday.
Reduced visibility has given Heathrow Airport no choice but to cancel approximately 100 out of about 1,300 flights, according to a spokesman.
Heathrow's normal pattern of a plane landing or taking off every 45 seconds is impossible under the foggy conditions.
It is another day of disruption for travellers after around 100 flights were cancelled at Heathrow on Monday, while there were also problems at Gatwick, London City, Stansted and Southampton airports.
A Heathrow spokesman said: "Persistent freezing fog across the south east has reduced visibility at Heathrow again today.
"With Heathrow operating at more than 99% 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 today.
"Passengers should check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport. As always, Heathrow's top priority is the safety of passengers and we apologise to those whose travel has been affected by today's weather."
The new "severe" weather warning covers all of England, except for the North East, and south-east Wales and will remain in place until 11am today.
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 today and apologised to passengers who may be affected by the weather.
He said: "With Heathrow operating at more than 99% 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."
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 are also being warned of difficult driving conditions.
Dorset Police reported 31 collisions on Monday morning - six times more than would occur at that time on an average weekday.
The force is urging motorists to take extra care today, 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.
Yesterday London was 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.
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 on Sunday.
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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