Thousands of passengers have been left stranded as a thick fog descended on London, forcing airlines to cancel departures and divert arrivals.
Caused by high pressure and moisture in the air, dense fog is covering much of the south-east of England, while the rest of the country was also covered in mist.
Heathrow, Gatwick and London City have all been affected by the weather, with the latter saying it had caused “significant disruption”.
Fog in London: A real #peasouper here at Gatwick Airport - When the only place I want to be is back in Northern Ireland @BBCNITravel pic.twitter.com/rVrJldCAVx
— Jo-Anne Dobson (@JoAnne_Dobson) December 17, 2016
Passengers flying in and out airports in the south-east have been told to expect delays and to contact their airline before travelling to the airport.
A Heathrow spokesman said about 50 flights had been cancelled so far. He said: “There are currently delays to flights at Heathrow because of fog across the south-east and large parts of Europe. The fog and mist are slowly improving.”
#LHR Terminal 5 right now. My flight to Athens runs on a 3 hours delayed departure time already. #fog pic.twitter.com/83t6TFWmLJ
— MarTyrion (@Mar_Tyrion) December 17, 2016
Charlotte Beeching, a spokesperson for the London City airport, said: “The airport closed at lunchtime and will reopen tomorrow but there was significant disruption all morning.”
She did not know how many flights or passengers had been affected by the fog.
Fog thicker than old man's dandruff! Patiently waiting w/ GREAT @British_Airways staff. #mothernature still rules. #travel #HeathrowDelay pic.twitter.com/QwJKo0Fwwx
— Lesley Donaldson (@Bornagainwriter) December 17, 2016
Greg Dewhurst, meteorologist for the Met Office, said the thick fog had been caused by high pressure combined with moisture in the air, which at this time of the year, when the nights are long and cool, helps form fog.
A few pictures from a very foggy #Arsenal training session. #afc #fog pic.twitter.com/hCuvTWzuvS
— Stuart MacFarlane (@Stuart_PhotoAFC) December 17, 2016
He said: “We saw it form overnight and it has lasted through the day, it’ll likely stay through the night and into tomorrow morning as the high pressure is unlikely to change.
“As we go through tomorrow, the air will become a little bit drier and it will begin to clear, but in the short term, it’s likely to stay on the misty-murky-foggy side of things, especially across the south-east part of the country.”
Trainer @HarryFryRacing1: "The dream goes on"
— GetYourTipsOut (@GetYourTipsOut) December 17, 2016
Huge cheer went up as he emerged from the fog
(Video: @Channel4Racing)pic.twitter.com/b6y59Et9Fh
There will be further disruption for travellers over the festive period due to a wave of strikes and planned industrial action by employees of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, as well as airport staff.
British Airways said: “In common with other airlines, we are experiencing some disruption to our flights from Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports today.
“With a reduced landing/take-off rate imposed, there will be delays and a small number of cancellations. We apologise to any customers who have been affected but safety remains our main priority.”
