Ice, fog hit dozens of flights around the UK

Airports have been forced to cancel dozens of flights as ice and thick fog descended on the UK overnight, it was reported here Wednesday. Heathrow Airport had around 60 cancellations affecting incoming and outgoing flights throughout the day, as well as many more delays, according to its website. The airport began reporting flight cancellations last night and has cancelled more this morning. A spokesman said last night, "It's better to cancel flights when there's fog because in fog you can't land as many planes per hour because you have to leave more space between the planes." The spokesman added that cancelling in advance helped airlines accommodate passengers on other flights. Cancelled flights included scheduled trips to Warsaw, Nice, Stockholm, Aberdeen and several German cities. London City Airport also cancelled six early morning flights to European cities, including Edinburgh, and reported a number of delays on its arrivals board. Large swathes of the country will be affected by thick fog and freezing temperatures, which have largely affected the north midlands, and central and southern England. The mercury plummeted to minus 10C in Tulloch, Scotland, while Chesham in Buckinghamshire endured temperatures as low as - 8.7 celcius overnight. A light dusting of snow and wintry showers will greet the coast today along Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Devon and Cornwall, while other areas will experience snow-like grains which have formed in the freezing fog.