Thick fog disrupts travel with further weather warning issued

Dense fog disrupted travel for many on Monday morning and is likely to cause further disruption on Tuesday.

A Met Office warning for much of England and eastern Wales expired at 11:00 GMT on Monday. An additional fog warning for Northern Ireland ended at 10:00 GMT.

An area of England and Wales stretching from Canterbury to Cardiff, Hull to St Asaph and Southampton to York, and including London, Birmingham and parts of Greater Manchester was impacted.

The Met Office has issued a further warning for fog from Monday evening into Tuesday morning.

Heathrow Airport has advised anyone driving there to allow extra time for their journey.

"We advise passengers to check with their airline before leaving home and to drive with care," it said on X, external.

Part of M40 southbound shut after crash between junction 1A near Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, and junction one for the M25 link road.

Thick fog blanketed parts of England and Wales on Saturday night, making an FA cup match between Altrincham and Notts County less of a spectator sport.

It also caused a 30-car pile-up on the M20 in Kent, leaving two people seriously injured, as well as a 19-car collision on the A303 in Hampshire.

The Met Office has issued another yellow warning for fog from Monday evening across east and north-east Wales, parts of the Midlands, East Anglia and southern areas of Northern England.

It comes into effect from 18:00 until 10:00 GMT Tuesday.

The fog will once again become dense in places with the visibility dropping below 100 metres.

Difficult travel conditions should be expected on the roads with some delays to other transport also possible.

With a large area of high pressure across the UK, conditions are ideal for the formation of dense fog.

Temperatures overnight into Monday morning dropped to around 3 to 5C across England and Wales which meant moisture at ground level condensed into water droplets, creating cloud - which is essentially fog.

Light winds then meant fog was able to get denser through the night, leading to visibilities less than 100 metres on Monday morning.

Fog has been particularly dense and widespread on Monday morning because there has also been a lot of fireworks and bonfires over the last few days.

Tiny smoke particules act as extra cloud condensation nuclei which allows more water vapour being able to turn into droplets.

Patchy fog could also develop outside the warning area in northern parts of the UK wherever skies remain clear for long enough.

Mist forms in the same way but is less dense, with visibility generally greater than 1,000 metres (1km).

Visibility of 50m or less can cause severe travel disruption. The Met Office advises drivers to check road conditions before setting off and use fog lights when visibility is seriously reduced.

Allow extra time for journeys and adjust plans if necessary. Patchy fog can be particularly dangerous because visibility can change suddenly.

The RAC motoring organisation recommends allowing extra stopping distance between your vehicle and the one ahead.

AA president Edmund King said drivers need to be prepared to adapt their speed on the road.

"One of the biggest mistakes is simply following the rear lights of the car in front. It can give you a false sense of security and means you may be travelling too close to react safely if that vehicle suddenly stops," he said.

If you're using public transport or flying, check for updates from your operator and follow its advice. Flights may be delayed because aircraft need greater spacing when landing in fog.