More snow threatens half-term getaway

Holiday makers hoping to travel over the half-term period are being warned to expect delays as Heathrow Airport faces more snow.

The Met Office is predicting a light dusting of snow to hit Britain's busiest airport this weekend.

Passengers were delayed when Heathrow cancelled almost half the outbound flights on Sunday after only three inches of snow. A third of services were scrapped as a preemptive measure before a single snowflake fell.

With temperatures likely to remain around freezing for much of the week in eastern England, airports will have to allow an extra 30 minutes preparation time to de-ice their aircraft.

As many as 90,000 passengers are expected to fly out of Heathrow on Saturday alone. The airport is operating at more than 99 per cent capacity so any weather disruption poses the threat of significant delays.