Dozens of flights cancelled at Heathrow due to freezing fog

Dozens of flights have been cancelled at Heathrow airport due to freezing fog.

The airport recorded its coldest night since December 2010 - and coldest January night since 1987 - as temperatures dropped to -8.4C (16.8F).

Slippery and icy conditions on runways meant carriers were forced to cancel or delay arrivals and departures to and from the airport.

British Airways was among the airlines affected earlier and grounded around 80 flights due to the wintry weather conditions.

A British Airways spokesman said: "Like other airlines, our schedule has been affected by the continued freezing fog weather conditions experienced across London.

"We've apologised to customers whose flights have been affected and are doing everything we can to get them on their way as quickly as possible.

"We advise customers to check the website for the latest flight information."

A Heathrow spokesman said poor visibility this morning resulted in "minor changes" to the flight schedule.

"While there may be minor changes to today's schedule as a result of the weather, we want to reassure passengers that our colleagues are working in close collaboration with our airline and air traffic control partners to get them safely away on their journeys as quickly as possible.

"We encourage passengers to check with their airline for the latest information."

The situation improved and the fog had largely dissipated by the afternoon.

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The Met Office said temperatures were not expected to top 4C (39F) in London later in the day, while they could reach 10C (50F) by mid-afternoon in Northern Ireland.

It comes amid an extremely cold week, when temperatures plunged below freezing in parts of the UK - but the weather turned milder as the week drew to a close.

The temperature reached 10.9C (51.6F) at Achnagart in the Scottish Highlands on Sunday but it was also the wettest place in the country with 15mm of rain.

Temperatures fell to -9.7C (14.5F) at Benson in Oxfordshire, while Weybourne in Norfolk was the sunniest place in the UK with 7.4 hours of clear skies.