Thousands of travellers hoping to reach home for Christmas have had to organise last minute alternatives, as flights, ferries and trains have been cancelled across the UK, while part of the M1 was closed due to a van fire.
National Highways said the M1 has now reopened after emergency services were working at the scene on Monday morning, although drivers are still warned of delays there, as millions take to the country’s motorways ahead of Christmas.
The further disruption comes after more than 100 flights at Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, were cancelled on Sunday. Dozens of ferry routes in Scotland and Ireland were also not running due to the bad weather, while rail passengers faced chaos as Northern cancelled all trains on 11 routes.
Snow over the weekend caused chaos on the M62, with one lane closed. More snow is expected near the end December, with the Met Office forecasting ice, sleet and snow is set to hit the north of the country and perhaps also central areas.
However, conditions are expected to improve this week after the widespread disruption caused by the “perfect storm” of adverse weather conditions and road congestion. The forecaster is currently predicting a “grey Christmas” with some sunny spells and “extremely mild” temperatures.
Watch: Christmas rail travel disrupted by station closures and strike action
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 10:35
M1 reopens after van fire but drivers still warned of delays
The part of the M1 that was closed due to a vehicle fire has now reopened.
The motorway was shut northbound between J22, near Leicester, and J23, near Loughborough, after a vehicle blaze.
National Highways said on Monday morning that drivers are still facing delays there of around 10 minutes.
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 10:10
Belfast City Airport reopens after landing emergency
Belfast City Airport’s runway is “operating at normal” after it was forced to close following an emergency incident.
A plane’s nose wheel collapsed as it landed in the airport amid adverse weather conditions on Sunday afternoon.
There were four crew on board and no passengers when the hard landing occurred.
The incident triggered emergency procedures at Belfast City Airport and forced the runway to close for the rest of the day.
Several flights were redirected.
Emerald Airlines, which was operating the flight, said the incident was a result of adverse weather conditions that has been disrupting travel across the UK.
On Monday morning, Belfast City Airport said normal operations were resuming.
In a statement, it said: “The runway at Belfast City Airport has now reopened and normal operations will resume today.
“Passengers impacted by yesterday’s runway closure or those due to travel today should check the status of their flight with the airline before making their way to the airport.”
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 10:00
Part of M1 is closed as van is on fire with drivers facing huge delays
Part of the M1 is closed because a van is on fire, with drivers facing huge delays.
National Highways said the M1 remains closed northbound between J22, near Leicester, and J23, near Loughborough, on Monday morning.
It added that emergency services including Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service continue to work at the scene where a van is on fire.
A diversion route is in place for motorists, although they are advised to allow for extra journey time amid delays, or even to postpone travel.
Pictures show long queues building up on that section of the motorway.
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 09:18
Met Office’s ice warning remains in place
The Met Office has issued an ice warning for parts of the UK.
The yellow weather alert is in place across areas in northeast Scotland until 10am today.
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 08:58
UK could see a ‘grey Christmas’ rather than a white one, forecasts Met Office
Looking ahead to next week, conditions are expected to improve and the UK could see a “grey Christmas”, rather than a white one.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: “We’re expecting to see some sunny spells further east and a lot of cloud from the west.
“Temperatures should rise considerably and it will be extremely mild over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
“In England and Wales, temperatures will be well above average with some grey in the mix.
“We’re expecting an average of around 12C or 13C on Christmas Eve and 11C or 12C on Christmas Day. The usual average for this time of year is 7C or 8C so we’ll be around double where we usually are.
“Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be extremely mild.”
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 08:29
Conditions expected to improve after bad weather disrupts Christmas travel
Conditions are expected to improve this week after bad weather caused disruption during the Christmas getaway period.
The Met Office has forecast a “grey Christmas” with some sunny spells and “extremely mild” temperatures.
It comes after a “perfect storm” of adverse weather conditions and road congestion led to widespread disruption during the Christmas getaway.
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 08:00
Dozens of flights delayed or cancelled after Belfast City runway blocked by stricken plane
George Best Belfast City airport has reopened after the runway was blocked by a stricken plane – but widespread disruption continues through Monday morning.
The drama began shortly after 4pm on Sunday afternoon when an Aer Lingus Regional ATR72 aircraft flew in from Edinburgh on a “positioning” flight to Belfast City. Four crew but no passengers were on board.
After a 40-minute flight the propellor plane made what the airline called a “hard landing” because of bad weather. The nose wheel collapsed, leaving the aircraft resting on its nose. No one was hurt, but the runway was blocked. Four incoming flights were diverted to Belfast International and two to Dublin, and dozens were cancelled.
The airport says: “Following an incident on 22 December, the runway at Belfast City Airport has reopened and is operating as normal.”
The runway is certainly open, with the first passenger flight from Manchester touching down at 7.15am, but operations are far from normal.
A British Airways flight that was due out at 5.25pm on Sunday but which was diverted to Dublin is now expected to leave at 9am.
The early departure on KLM to Amsterdam is cancelled because the aircraft could not reach Belfast City.
Many flights are delayed by several hours. The Emerald Airlines fleet of 10 aircraft has been reduced by one, while the aircraft is assessed and repaired, which will cause more cancellations.
Travel correspondent Simon Calder23 December 2024 07:25
Christmas travel: Worst times for driving during ‘record festive getaway’ revealed by RAC
Around 29.3 million Christmas journeys will take place between Wednesday and 24 December, the RAC has estimated, with nearly half taking place on the pre-Christmas weekend alone.
Surveying over 2,000 drivers, the motoring group has urged festive commuters when to avoid major routes over the coming days. On Friday, it’s best to stay off the roads for the five hours between 2pm and 7pm on Friday 20 December, with nearly three million trips planned across the day.
This jumps to a massive 3.72 million on Saturday, when drivers are urged to avoid the five hours between 1pm and 6pm and set off well before this “gridlock” period if they can.
Maroosha Muzaffar23 December 2024 06:30