Travel warning as snow continues

Passengers have been affected by airport closures in the UK and across Europe

Snow and ice are continuing to cause disruption to flights in Scotland and on the roads across the country.

Edinburgh and Aberdeen runways have been closed and hundreds of diverted passengers spent the night in Glasgow and Edinburgh airports.

There will be no flights to Heathrow on Sunday, with limits on Gatwick flights.

The Met Office issued a warning of very heavy snows in Edinburgh and the Lothians and heavy snow in the north, east coast, central belt and Borders.

Edinburgh Airport closed at 1030 GMT to clear snow and hopes to reopen at 1430 GMT.

Several hundred passengers had been stranded at the airport overnight after a flight was diverted from Heathrow.

A spokesman said passengers sould check with their airline before travelling to the airport as only they could confirm whether flights would be operating.

Glasgow said most flights were operating, however some airlines were experiencing cancellations or delays due to snow elsewhere.

About 300 people stayed at the airport on Saturday night after being diverted from other airports. A spokesman said beds and blankets were provided by airport staff and the Red Cross.

Planes diverted to Glasgow included flights from Dubai, Tel Aviv, Los Angeles and Chicago.

The runway at Aberdeen Airport had to be cleared following early morning snowfalls and has closed again for de-icing. It will not reopen until at least 1200 GMT.

Passengers were also warned of knock-on problems from weather problems at Heathrow and Gatwick.

An airport spokesman said: “We appreciate that it is incredibly frustrating times for passengers but due to local snow and the Heathrow closure our operation is being considerably impacted.”

Highlands and islands airports are all open but snow and ice continues to cause delays and cancellations to some flights.

Heathrow Airport told the BBC that “a few thousand spent the night in the terminals” but said just four short-haul and three long-haul flights would leave on Sunday morning. It hoped to be operational on Monday.

Dozens of flights into and out of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen were cancelled on Saturday, affecting more than 16,000 passengers.

Snow, ice and freezing fog are all causing problems on the roads, with the worst conditions in the east. Police are again advising drivers to take care if they need to travel.

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