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Thousands of passengers hoping to get home for Christmas had to organize last-minute alternativeslike flights, ferries and trains were canceled across the UK, while part of the M1 was closed due to a van fire.
The National Highways Agency said the M1 has now reopened after emergency services attended the scene on Monday morning, although drivers are still being warned of delays as millions of people travel on the country’s motorways ahead of Christmas.
Further disruption comes after more than 100 flights were canceled at Heathrow, the busiest airport in Great Britain on Sunday. Dozens of ferry routes in Scotland and Ireland were also down due to the bad weather, while rail passengers faced chaos as Northern canceled all trains on 11 routes.
Snow at the weekend caused chaos on the M62, with one lane closed. More snow is expected at the end of December, with the Met Office predicting that ice, sleet and snow will affect the north of the country and possibly central areas.
However, conditions are expected to improve this week following widespread disruption caused by a “perfect storm” of adverse weather conditions and road congestion. The forecaster is currently predicting a “grey Christmas” with sunny spells and “extremely mild” temperatures.
See: Christmas rail travel disrupted by station closures and strike
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 10:35
The M1 is reopening after a van fire, but drivers are still warning of delays
A section of the M1 which was closed due to a vehicle fire has now reopened.
The motorway is closed northbound between J22, near Leicester, and J23, near Loughborough, following a vehicle fire.
The National Highways Agency said on Monday morning that motorists were still facing delays of around 10 minutes.
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 10:10
Belfast City Airport reopens after emergency landing
Belfast City Airport’s runway is “operating as normal” after it was forced to close following an emergency incident.
The nose wheel of the plane collapsed while landing at the airport due to adverse weather conditions on Sunday afternoon.
There were four crew members and no passengers on board when the hard landing occurred.
The incident triggered emergency procedures at Belfast Airport and forced the runway to be closed for the rest of the day.
Several flights were diverted.
Emerald Airlines, which operated the flight, said the incident was the result of adverse weather conditions disrupting travel across the UK.
On Monday morning, Belfast City Airport said normal operations were resuming.
The statement said: “The runway at Belfast City Airport has now reopened and normal operations will resume today.
“Passengers affected by yesterday’s runway closure or those due to travel today should check the status of their flight with their airline before heading to the airport.”
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 10:00
Part of the M1 has been closed as a van is on fire and motorists are facing long delays
Part of the M1 is closed as a van catches fire, with motorists facing long delays.
National Highways said the M1 was closed northbound between J22, near Leicester, and J23, near Loughborough, on Monday morning.
It added that emergency services, including Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, were continuing to work at the scene of the burning van.
A diversion route is in place for motorists, although they are advised to allow extra travel time for delays, or even delay their journey.
The pictures show how long queues form on that part of the highway.
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 09:18
The Met Office ice warning remains in place
The Met Office has issued an ice warning for parts of the UK.
A yellow weather warning is in place for all areas of north-east Scotland until 10am today.
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 08:58
The UK could see a ‘grey Christmas’ rather than a white one, the Met Office has predicted
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 sunny spells further east and plenty of cloud from the west.
“Temperatures should rise significantly and during Christmas Eve and Christmas it will be extremely mild.
“In England and Wales, temperatures will be well above average with some gray in the mix.
“We expect 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 about double what we usually are.
“Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be exceptionally 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 over the Christmas period.
The Met Office has forecast a “grey Christmas” with sunny spells and “extremely mild” temperatures.
It comes after a “perfect storm” of bad weather and road congestion led to widespread disruption over the Christmas break.
Tara Cobham23 December 2024 08:00
Dozens of flights delayed or canceled after the runway in Belfast City was blocked by the stricken plane
George Best Belfast City Airport has reopened after the runway was blocked by the stricken plane – but widespread disruption continues into Monday morning.
The drama began just after 4pm on Sunday afternoon when the Aer Lingus Regional ATR72 flew from Edinburgh on a “positioning” flight to Belfast City. Four crew members, but no passengers were on board.
After a 40-minute flight, the propeller plane made, according to the airline, a “hard landing” due to bad weather. The nose wheel collapsed, leaving the aircraft on its nose. No one was injured, but the runway was blocked. Four inbound flights were diverted to Belfast International and two to Dublin, and dozens were cancelled.
The airport says: “Following the 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 landing at 7.15am, but operations are far from normal.
A British Airways flight which was due to depart at 5.25pm on Sunday but was diverted to Dublin is now expected to depart at 9am.
An early KLM departure to Amsterdam was canceled because the plane could not arrive in Belfast City.
Many flights are delayed by several hours. Emerald Airlines’ fleet of 10 planes has been reduced by one while the plane is assessed and repaired, which will cause more cancellations.
Travel Correspondent Simon Calder23 December 2024 07:25
Christmas travel: Worst time to drive during ‘record holiday getaway’ revealed by RAC
About 29.3 million Christmas journeys will take place between Wednesday and December 24, the RAC estimates, with almost half taking place over the pre-Christmas weekend alone.
Surveying more than 2,000 drivers, the motoring group has urged holidaymakers when to avoid major routes in the coming days. On Friday, it’s best to stay off the roads for five hours between 2pm and 7pm on Friday, December 20, with almost three million journeys planned for the day.
This jumps to a whopping 3.72 million on Saturday, when motorists are urged to avoid the five hours between 1pm and 6pm and set off well before this “downtime” period if they can.
Maroosha Muzaffar23 December 2024 06:30