Thick fog disrupts flights to and from London

London: Dozens of flights travelling to and from London airports have been cancelled or delayed on Saturday after a heavy fog hit the southeast of the UK ahead of New Year's Eve.

Heathrow, Gatwick and London City Airports all warned passengers to check with their airlines before travelling. Drivers were urged to take care as the Met Office warned of low visibility.

A spokesperson for Gatwick airport said, "Air traffic control restrictions imposed due to heavy fog across the south-east and Europe is causing delays to flights to and from Gatwick.

"Passengers are strongly advised to check with their airline as to the status of their flight before travelling if possible. Gatwick is doing all it can to keep passengers moving and we apologise for the unavoidable and unfortunate disruption today," he said.

Some flights from Heathrow to destinations including Rome and Istanbul were cancelled this morning, while many were delayed by one to two hours.

Highways England said there had been no significant weather-related incidents reported overnight or this morning.

A spokesperson said, "The events over the last couple of days underline the importance of driving to the conditions.

Fog can come very quickly so it's important to leave plenty of space. The thing that’s really important to remember is when it's wet it does take twice as long to stop".

Weather forecasters said the heavy fog would largely lift before New Year's Eve fireworks displays, although an incoming cold snap would see temperatures plummet as low as -5 degrees Celsius by New Year's Day.