Heathrow flights cancelled and delayed after plane crash at UK airport

It is time to wrap up our rolling travel and traffic coverage, thank you for following.

Chiltern Railways also has an amended timetable over the festive period into the New Year, and like many other operators, it does not have any services on Christmas Day.

• Christmas Eve – Earlier finish than normal
• Christmas Day – No services
• Boxing Day – Special services between London Marylebone, Bicester Village and Oxford Parkway via High Wycombe only
• December 27 to 29 – Services are set to be busier than usual between Oxford and London due to engineering works on other parts of the rail network
• December 30 – Amended timetable, so passengers should check before travelling
• December 31- Amended timetable with some late night services from Marylebone running
• January 1 – Amended timetable and passengers are advised to check beforehand

Like many other rail companies, Gatwick Express will have a revised and limited schedule over the festive period.

Here is a recap of what Gatwick Express services are running and.

• Christmas Eve – Services will finish much earlier than usual
• Christmas Day – No service on any Gatwick Express, Southern or Thameslink route
• Boxing Day – No service on any Gatwick Express or Thameslink route, while a limited Southern service will run to and from London Victoria
• Normal Gatwick Express service will resume on Thursday, January 2

A baby boy is in hospital and a man was killed after the driver of a Volkswagen Polo crashed into them in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Southeastern has issued an update after the disruption on trains between Dover and Folkestone.

The ‘total’ signalling failure was caused by a trackside fire.

While the fire has now been put out, the signalling equipment has to be inspected before trains can run through the area again, Southeastern said on social media.

The issue was expected to be solved by 5.30pm, but this has now been revised and trains are not expected to travel between Ashford and Dover until at least 7.30pm.

Drivers at Dartford Crossing face delays after traffic has come to a halt at the UK’s busiest crossing.

Traffic appears to be at a standstill anticlockwise on approach to Dartford from the A2 and the M25 in Kent – just as Christmas travel approaches one of the busiest days of the year.

A whopping 3.8 million journeys are expected on Christmas Eve alone, the busiest day of the festive getaway.

A 50-year-old pilot of a light aircraft has died after the plane crashed in Scotland.

Trains between London and Dover face significant disruption after a total signal failure in the Folkestone area.

All lines are blocked because of it, causing Southeastern trains through the station to be cancelled, delayed or revised.

National Rail said: ‘There has been a total signalling failure in the Folkestone area. Trains are currently unable to travel between Dover and Folkestone in both directoins.’

Disruption is expected to last at least until 5.30pm, with trains terminating and restarting early or using alternative routes.

Here is the affected route.

• Between Dover Priory and London Charing Cross, and also between Ramsgate and London St Pancras International

One passenger had a narrow escape after he was caught by a moving train before being dragged along it.

Read more about the incident below.

All lanes have closed on a slip entry road on the M54 near Telford.

Two lanes remain closed on the westbound entry slip road at junction J4, a National Highways alert shows.

Normal traffic conditions are expected by 6pm, it said.

Delays of up to 50 minutes are expected on the M5 and parts of the M6 after a collison on the motorway southbound towards Worcester.

Lanes 3 and 4 are now closed on the M5 Southbound after a Heavy Goods Vehicle crashed into a van, with around five miles of congestion reported by National Highways.

Trains heading towards Norwich are experiencing delays after a train broke down at Thetford and is currently blocking the line.

The driver is currently investigating the cause of the breakdown.

Greater Anglia have advised customers to be prepared for delays on their journey.

A section on the M1 which had closed after a van burst into flames has now reopened.

Drivers can now head down J22, near Leicester, and J23, near Loughborough, after it was closed this morning, although delays of around 10 mins are expected.

Belfast City Airport is now ‘operating as normal’ after an emergency incident on the runway caused cancellations and delays.

A plane crash-landed at the airport on Sunday after being blown off-course by strong winds, damaging the craft and forcing the runway to close.

But Belfast City Airport said today announced that normal operations were resuming.

In a statement, it said: ‘The runway at Belfast City Airport has now reopened and normal operations will resume today.

‘Passengers impacted by yesterday’s runway closure or those due to travel today should check the status of their flight with the airline before making their way to the airport.’

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice across parts of the UK.

The warning, issued at 9pm on Sunday, warns of snow and ice in Scotland and is expected to be lifted at 10am today.

A section of the M1 is closed after a van burst into flames in the middle of the road.

Diversions are in place and long delays are expected while the M1 remains closed northbound between J22, near Leicester, and J23, near Loughborough.

Emergency services including Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service have been deployed to the scene and are dealing with burning van.

An obstruction on the track between Dunkeld & Birnam and Perth means all lines are currently closed, National Rail has announced.

Services between Inverness and Perth will be cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 30 minutes, with disruption to continue until 10am.

Belfast City Airport has reopened after a plane crash-landed on the runway last night, but disruption caused by harsh weather is expected to continue throughout the day.

Many flights are delayed by several hours, including a British Airways flight set to depart at 5:25pm yesterday which will now take off at 9am.

More cancellations are expected throughout the day, including a KLM flight to Amsterdam which could not reach Belfast city.

An airport spokesman said:  ‘Following an incident on 22 December, the runway at Belfast City Airport has reopened and is operating as normal.’