UK weather: Flight and rail chaos as air traffic control goes down after ‘hottest temperature in recorded history’
Follow our coverage as travellers were hit by delays and cancellations following extreme weather
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Air and rail passengers are being hit by more travel disruption even as temperatures cool after the hottest July day on record.
Flights from London airports, including Heathrow and Gatwick, have been delayed and cancelled due to heatwave-related issues technical problems with the UK’s air traffic control system.
It comes as the Met Office received a new provisional recording of 38.7C in Cambridge on Thursday, which – if confirmed – would be a new temperature record for the UK.
The railway network still faces heavy delays and cancellations after soaring temperatures caused overhead cables to sag. Great Northern, Thameslink and East Midland Trains are among the train companies affected with passengers advised to avoid travelling unless the journey is essential.
Meanwhile, the Met Office has issued a severe weather alert over the weekend warning of potential flooding in north, northeast, northwest and southeast England.
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As rail delays caused by the extreme weather ease, travellers at Heathrow and Gatwick airports are facing further flight cancellations and delays.
Air traffic control company Nats said a technical problem with a system at the Swanwick Air Traffic Control centre had been identified, which was causing some flight restrictions.
Nats said in a statement: “We are doing all we can to fix it as soon as possible.”
Last night, thunderstorms across Europe caused significant flight delays.
Queues in Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport (PA)
People resting in Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport (PA)
Passengers have been complaining after queueing for hours following flight delays and cancellations at Heathrow and Gatwick airports caused by the extreme weather.
European air traffic co-ordinating agency Eurocontrol has warned there will be "high" levels of delay for flights arriving at Heathrow and Gatwick for the rest of the day.
It said the technical problem affecting both airports was an "issue with radar displays".
That is compounding delays cause by heatwave-related issues across Europe.
Both Gatwick and Heathrow have urged passengers to check with their airlines before travelling.
East Midlands Trains is urging passengers not to travel on services between Sheffield and London St Pancras for the whole weekend as work to repair "extensive damage" to overhead wires continues.
A heavily reduced service will be running for the next three days as Network Rail engineers work on the damage near Belsize tunnel.
An emergency timetable for Saturday and Sunday will be announced later, but East Midlands Trains warned passengers not to attempt non-essential journeys.
Trains to Nottingham are also affected.
An ice cream van arrived on the tarmac to deliver treats to staff at Manchester airport.
The van was spotted at terminal one of the airport by Twitter user philipsconnell, who said staff were not paying for their ice creams and that the tab appeared to have been paid for in advance.
Temperatures in Manchester reached highs of 35C on Thursday, but there was a drop of around 10 degrees today.
A British Airways spokesman said: "Like all airlines, we have been affected by severe weather conditions overnight and into today, as well as an air traffic control technical issue reducing the number of arrivals into Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
"We are doing everything we can to minimise the disruption, and our teams are working tirelessly to ensure as many of our customers as possible are able to depart on their trips.
"We have apologised to our customers, and are rebooking them onto alternative services or offering them hotel accommodation if necessary.
"We advise customers to check ba.com for the latest flight information before coming to the airport."
British Airways was due to take delivery of its first Airbus A350 aircraft at Heathrow, but the flight was postponed to prioritise aircraft with passengers on board.
The Met Office has received a provisional temperature recording of 38.7C in Cambridge on Thursday, which if confirmed would be a new temperature record for the UK
Air traffic control company Nats say that disruptions to flights should begin to ease now a technical problem at Swanwick air traffic control centre has been fixed.
"Following the technical problem at Swanwick air traffic control centre this morning, we have now fixed the issue sufficiently to safely increase traffic flow rates and will see an improving picture through the rest of the day," it said in a statement.
"We apologise for the inconvenience caused."
A temperature of 38.7C was recorded in Cambridge on Thursday, which – if confirmed – would be a new temperature record for the UK.
Some parts of the UK are at risk of potential flooding over the weekend with a severe weather warning in place for heavy rain, the Met Office warns.
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