1. News
  2. UK
  3. Home News

UK weather and travel - live updates: Dozens of flights in and out of Heathrow cancelled as snow triggers travel chaos

Click to follow
The Independent Online

Key Points

Motorists have been warned of dangerous conditions and air travellers of potential disruption to flights after snow and ice struck parts of Britain. 

Thousands of people were also left without power overnight, and the Met Office has warned of the risk of slips and falls on icy surfaces. 

The southbound carriageway on the M1 was closed after a lorry crashed near Lutterworth, while another jack-knifed on the M5 near Gloucestershire in heavy snow. 

Live Updates

Lots of flights leaving from Heathrow Airport are currently delayed. If you are flying, you can see the status of your scheduled departure time here.
 
A fresh yellow severe weather warning has been issued for ice in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland. Injuries from slips and falls are possible, the Met Office says.
Simon Calder, The Independent's travel correspondent, reports more than 30 British Airways flights in and out of Heathrow have been cancelled due to the weather:
 
British Airways has cancelled more than 30 flights to and from Heathrow because of the wintry weather. 
Services to Amsterdam, Munich and Paris are among those affected. Earlier this month, hundreds of BA flights to and from Heathrow were cancelled because of de-icing problems.

BA is telling travellers: “Sleet and possibly snow are forecast for the Heathrow area this morning so we are making some adjustments to our schedule.

“During cold weather conditions aircraft have to be  de-iced prior to departure to ensure that they are safe and additional measures are taken to ensure the safety of our operation is maintained at all times.

"We ask customers to check the status of their flight before they come to the airport and we will do all we can to minimise the effect the weather has on our operations.

In addition, Eurowings has cancelled a round-trip from Hamburg to Heathrow.

London City airport has seen five diversions of arriving flights: two on KLM and Flybe, which went to Southend, and one on Alitalia that touched down at Gatwick.
This is how lorry's are being dragged off the A14 this morning. Multiple collisions are reported near Kettering due to the snow.
A fresh yellow weather warning for ice has been issued by the Met Office for the southern half of the UK. Icy patches are expected to develop later on Wednesday and on Thursday morning. 
 
Meanwhile on the A14... drivers stuck in snow are being welcomed by a rather worse-for-wear looking snowman in a Hi-Vis jacket. Highways England are advising those stranded on the roads to stay with their vehicles, keep their heaters on and wrap up where possible.
A second crash on the M1 southbound has left two lanes closed. The collision happened between junctions 21A and 21. Emergency services are now on the scene.

Around 11,000 homes across the Midlands are still without power, reports the BBC. Engineers are having to deal with more than 200 faults across the network due to the snow and ice.

All lanes have been reopened on the M1 following this morning's lorry crash.
  ↵
We think the UK has it bad? The city of Erie, Pennsylvania just reportedly saw 55 inches of snow. 
Only one lane closed on the M1 now following a lorry crash, but still minor delays on the approach.
The band of rain and snow is not expected to clear the mainland until around 7pm on Wednesday, although showers are expected to become lighter and patchy as the day progresses.

Dry, bright and breezy conditions will follow, with some wintry showers affecting the west and north of Wales and Northern Ireland.

Temperatures are expected to peak around 6C (43F) in the South West, although many places will only reach 3C (37F) or 4C (39F).

Places where snow has accumulated overnight will struggle to tip over 0C (32F), while those areas could see temperatures dip back down to minus 6C (21F) overnight on Wednesday.

Thursday will generally be drier and day with slightly less wind, although it will remain cold.
Wet and windy weather is expected to return for the weekend, raising the risk of some flooding.
The Environment Agency has issued 15 flood warnings across Britain, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action may be required. 
 
An illustration of how poor the conditions on the A14 are; lorries completely stuck in the snow. Five hours and counting.

 

Unsurprisingly, solar currently providing 0.4 per cent of the country's energy needs...
The Met Office has said the snow and rain will ease this afternoon, but temperatures will once again dip this evening.
Highways England are warning drivers to avoid the A14 in both directions between the M6 and M1 due to impassable stretches of road.
The M1 is closed southbound at junction 19 after a lorry crash which Leicestershire Police say was likely caused by the wintry conditions.

Please allow the live blog a moment to load

Birmingham Airport warned passengers flights could be affected by snow. 

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice across Northern Ireland, large parts of Scotland and the north-east coast of England.

A yellow warning over snow and rain was also triggered for the Midlands, London and the South East, the North West, South West and Yorkshire and the Humber. It will remain in place until 11am on Wednesday.