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NHS strike action: Junior doctors in England begin five-day walkout threatening further patient disruption | UK News

Patients face further major disruption as junior doctors in England begin a five-day strike in their ongoing pay row with the government.

Tens of thousands of hospital appointments are set to be cancelled or postponed as a result of the latest walkout which began at 7am on Saturday and will stretch until 11.59pm on Wednesday.

It is the 10th stoppage by junior doctors since last March and follows the longest strike in NHS history in January, which lasted six full days.

“The government could have stopped these strikes by simply making a credible pay offer for junior doctors in England to begin reversing the pay cuts they have inflicted upon us for more than a decade,” Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said.

“The same government could have even accepted our offer to delay this round of strike action to give more space for talks – all we asked for in return was a short extension of our mandate to strike.

“The fact that ministers have chosen strike action over what could have been the end of this year’s pay dispute is disappointing to say the least.”

The BMA also expects its strike mandate to be renewed raising the prospect of further industrial action.

What should I do if I’m ill during the strikes?

If your condition is not “serious or life-threatening”, the NHS is asking people to use pharmacists, GPs, or the NHS 111 service in the first instance.

NHS bosses have repeatedly stressed that you should still call 999 in life-threatening situations.

Non-striking medical staff will continue to provide urgent, emergency, and maternity care to people who need it, with those “with the most pressing health needs” prioritised.

People who attend A&E with less urgent needs “may experience longer waiting times than normal”.

Planned appointments and surgeries may have been cancelled, but if you have not been contacted about a rearrangement you should attend as normal, the NHS says.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “I want to see doctors treating patients, not standing on picket lines.

“In negotiations with the BMA junior doctors committee, we made it clear we were prepared to go further than the pay increase of up to 10.3% that they have already received. They refused to put our offer to their members.

“More than 1.3 million appointments and operations have already been cancelled or rescheduled since industrial action began – five days of further action will compound this.

“The NHS has robust contingency plans in place, and it is vital that people continue to come forward for treatment. But no one should underestimate the impact these strikes have on our NHS.

“So again, I urge the BMA junior doctors committee to call off their strikes and show they are prepared to be reasonable, so that we can come back to the negotiating table to find a fair way forward.”

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Junior doctors have received a pay rise averaging nearly 9% this financial year.

The BMA has been seeking a 35% “pay restoration” as its starting position, but has said it is willing to negotiate.

Junior doctors make up around half of all doctors in the NHS and have anywhere up to eight years’ experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.

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Wes Streeting, Labour’s shadow health secretary, described the latest round of strikes as having “a devastating impact on patients” but said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was refusing to negotiate.

NHS national medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said it is “extremely concerning” that strike action and disruption “are becoming a new normal”.

“For the equivalent of more than one in every 10 days last year, the NHS has had to effectively stop carrying out most routine appointments to prioritise emergency care,” he added.

Deputy chief executive of NHS Providers Saffron Cordery said: “We can’t go on like this. Wave after wave of strikes saps the morale of staff and impacts patients.

“Trust leaders want to get on with the job of giving patients first-class care instead of having to spend too much time and energy planning for and coping with weeks of disruptive strikes.”

Snow set to cause disruption as Britain braces for week of freezing temperatures | UK News

Snow is set to hit parts of Scotland today before spreading south next week as cold air from the Arctic brings freezing temperatures.

Up to 5cm of snow is expected in places by the end of Sunday, causing disruption on the roads and railways.

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice is in place into Monday, covering areas including the Highlands and the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

Northern Ireland could also see up to 5cm of snow on higher ground on Monday, with a yellow warning in place from 3am until the end of the day.

Check the five-day forecast where you are

Weather warning in Northern Ireland and Scotland on Monday
Image:
Weather warning in Northern Ireland and Scotland on Monday

Forecasters predict the snow will then move south over the course of the week, with the potential for wintry weather in parts of northern England on Tuesday.

Southern regions were said to be at “low risk” of snow.

Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick said: “It is going to be feeling pretty chilly in the north of Scotland.

“Throughout the week we are going to see more and more snow showers and warnings, towards the end of the week we will probably see an accumulation.

“The warning is of 2cm to 5cm of snow, throughout the week there is the possibility we will see a build up of snow.

Read more:
Why forecasting snow in the UK is a big challenge

“On Tuesday, we are going to see more rain turning to snow moving east across the country, with more prolonged snow and more accumulations at low levels in the north of Scotland and northern England.

“That’s where we could see 5cm or 10cm of snow in low-lying areas.

“There’s a very low chance the south might see a bit of it.”

UK weather: Yellow warnings issued for snow and ice as travel disruption expected | UK News

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for snow and ice at the weekend and into next week.

The alerts, which warn some travel disruption is likely, cover northern parts of Scotland on Sunday and Monday.

Another warning has been issued for the whole of Northern Ireland on Monday.

The Met Office said some roads and railways are likely to be affected, with some icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.

It warned there may also be some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.

Check the five-day forecast where you are

The warnings for Scotland are active for the whole of Sunday and Monday, while the alert for Northern Ireland is active from 3am until midnight on Monday.

The warning covering Scotland on Monday cautions there will be a small chance of power cuts and warns other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.

It also says there is a slight chance snow-covered roads would lead to stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel.

The Met Office said a northerly airflow will bring cold arctic air to the UK from Sunday and into next week, causing snow showers to focus across northern areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

There is a chance of disruptive snow for some areas as milder Atlantic air pushes in from the southwest over the next week.

Read more:
Why forecasting snow in the UK is a big challenge

“While the initial snow risk from Sunday onwards is looking most likely to be coastal areas in the north of the UK, including North Sea and Irish Sea coasts, there’s an ongoing likelihood of some disruptive snow through the middle to latter part of next week,” Met Office deputy chief meteorologist David Hayter said.

“What we’re keeping an eye on for this disruptive snow is where exactly this milder air from the southwest bumps into the cold air that will be in place over the UK. It’s where these airmasses meet that there’s a likelihood of some substantial snow for some places.

“At the moment, models are showing us a variety of options for exactly when and how this situation plays out and it’s something we’ll be able to add more details to in the coming days.”

UK weather: ‘Last-minute getaway trips’ face disruption due to wet and windy conditions in lead up to Christmas | UK News

“Last-minute getaway trips” could be disrupted due to wet and windy weather in the run-up to Christmas, the RAC has warned.

A number of yellow weather warnings for rain and wind are coming into force from Saturday 23 December until Christmas Day morning, mainly affecting northern Scotland but stretching down to parts of the east and west of England and parts of Wales.

Warnings for snow and ice also cover Inverness, Orkney and the Shetland islands. They were in place since 9pm today and last until 12pm tomorrow.

UK weather latest – the forecast where you are

The Met Office warned of potential disruption, adding that strong winds can cause cancellations to road, rail, air and ferry services.

“With this latest weather warning affecting a large area of Scotland and parts of northern England, there is the chance travellers’ last-minute getaway trips could be disrupted,” Rod Dennis, a spokesperson for RAC Breakdown, added.

“If trains are significantly delayed people are more likely to shift to the roads, which could add to already exceptionally high traffic volumes. Nationally, we expect around 3.2m separate getaway journeys to be made today by car.”

Passengers at St Pancras International station, London, as Christmas getaway chaos is expected to continue as the backlog from the suspension of cross-Channel rail services begins to clear and the weather remains unsettled. An unexpected strike by Eurotunnel French site staff on Thursday led to widespread disruption, before it came to end in the evening, with trade union representatives reaching an agreement with management. Picture date: Friday December 22, 2023.
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Disgruntled passengers at St Pancras station

He advised drivers to “be on their guard” when driving and reduce their speed, especially on more rural routes.

Motorway closures, train cancellations and queues to cross the Channel had already caused travel chaos for many across the UK since Thursday, partly due to Storm Pia.

‘Frantic Friday’

On the railways, strong winds led to services being suspended, particularly in Scotland, while in London, queues at St Pancras formed as the day was dubbed “Frantic Friday”.

Passengers at St Pancras International station, London, as Christmas getaway chaos is expected to continue as the backlog from the suspension of cross-Channel rail services begins to clear and the weather remains unsettled. An unexpected strike by Eurotunnel French site staff on Thursday led to widespread disruption, before it came to end in the evening, with trade union representatives reaching an agreement with management. Picture date: Friday December 22, 2023.
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Queues of passengers at St Pancras International station

Many services were playing catch-up after cancelled Eurostar trains due to unscheduled industrial action by French workers led to passengers having to rebook tickets.

In central London, the Elizabeth Line suffered severe delays between London Paddington, Reading and Heathrow Airport on Friday afternoon after two trains broke down.

 Passengers dressed as Christmas trees at St Pancras International station, London, as Christmas getaway chaos is expected to continue as the backlog from the suspension of cross-Channel rail services begins to clear and the weather remains unsettled. An unexpected strike by Eurotunnel French site staff on Thursday led to widespread disruption, before it came to end in the evening, with trade union representatives reaching an agreement with management. Picture date: Friday December 22, 2023.

While at King’s Cross Station, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even made a surprise appearance, where he brought multiple boxes of mince pies – reportedly to give to key workers – at Marks & Spencer.

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Rishi Sunak buys several boxes of mince pies

His appearance came as the Department for Transport said rail fares will hike 4.9% from 3 March next year.

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90-minute wait in Dover and ‘limited’ facilities

Elsewhere, the Port of Dover in Kent said it was taking about 90 minutes to process cars, with passengers warned of “limited toilet facilities” and urged to bring refreshments to make the wait as comfortable as possible.

It attributed delays to a surge in demand for ferries after the Channel Tunnel rail link was closed on 21 December.

Delays at Port of Dover
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Delays at Port of Dover

Motorists were advised to travel before 11am or after 6pm if possible to reduce the chance of being stuck in long queues.

But closures on the M4 westbound and the A66 in both directions between south at Bridgefoot and north at Cockermouth in Cumbria led to long delays.

Delay at Eurotunnel
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Queues at Eurotunnel in Calais lasted until early evening

The M62 motorway was also closed from around 11pm on Thursday until shortly before 9am on Friday between junctions 21 (near Rochdale, Greater Manchester) and 22 (near Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire) because of a police investigation following a crash in which a 19-year-old male car passenger was killed.

The RAC estimated 13.5 million leisure journeys by car would take place across the UK between Friday and Sunday, up 20% on the three days before Christmas Day last year.

Eurostar trains to resume after French strike – as Storm Pia causes more travel disruption | UK News

Travellers heading to Europe should soon be able to resume their journey after a deal was done to end a strike that halted cross-Channel trains.

Thousands were stranded on Thursday when French workers rejected an end-of-year bonus.

Services affected included Eurostar, which runs passenger services from London St Pancras, and Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, which runs vehicle-carrying trains from Folkestone.

The disruption started about midday and at least 30 Eurostar trains were cancelled, with many turning back to where they started.

Eurotunnel later said management and trade unions had reached a deal that meant services would “resume progressively this evening and Eurostar tomorrow morning [Friday]”.

Getlink, the company that manages Channel Tunnel infrastructure, said unions wanted three times the €1,000 (£866) bonus they were offered.

The problems came on a day when all services from London Euston were suspended for a time due to overhead line damage near Watford Junction.

Passengers at Euston Station, London, as travellers get an early start to their Christmas journeys ahead of the weekend. Strong winds are disrupting the start of the Christmas getaway for millions of people. Train services across large parts of Britain are being affected by Storm Pia as fallen trees and other debris damage overhead power lines and block tracks. Picture date: Thursday December 21, 2023.
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Passengers were stuck without trains at London Euston

Disruption at London's King's Cross Station
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People were also prevented from going on to platforms at King’s Cross

King’s Cross also had severe delays due to a fallen tree in the Newark area.

Large crowds massed outside the stations and on concourses, staring at their phones and trying to work out alternative routes.

At 4.30pm, Euston said the problem had been fixed and “we are working closely with train operators to get you on the move”.

However some operators, such as London Northwestern, were still reporting disruption on Thursday evening.

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Plane struggles to land in Storm Pia

Storm Pia also disrupted air travel, with some planes diverting from northern airports and British Airways grounding two dozen flights.

Video showed a pilot fighting to land his plane at Birmingham in 50mph crosswinds.

The aircraft was less than 100ft from the tarmac when it was forced to pull up – but it made it down safely on the second try.

Handout photo issued by Network Rail of a 10ft trampoline which was blown onto the main line between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh
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A trampoline was blown on to lines between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh

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Gusts of 115mph were recorded at Cairngorm Summit in the Highlands, while Brizlee Wood, near Alnwick in Northumberland, saw 81mph.

About 40,000 households were affected by electricity outages in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

But nearly all were reconnected by Thursday evening, said operator Northern Powergrid.

Elsewhere, a man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after a tree hit his car in Clifton, Derbyshire. Police in the county said a number of trees had fallen on the road.

Storm Pia, named by Danish forecasters, is set to move towards mainland Europe where its effect is expected to be more severe, said the Met Office.

London Paddington: ‘Major’ disruption to Elizabeth line and Heathrow after overhead cables damaged | Breaking News News

Commuters heading to and from London Paddington face “major disruption” this evening because of damage to overhead electric cables.

Trains running to and from the station may be cancelled or delayed by up to 80 minutes, National Rail said.

The disruption also affects the Elizabeth line, with services to stations between Paddington and Heathrow and Reading cancelled.

One stranded passenger told Sky News: “I’ve been sat for an hour outside Paddington and [it was] just announced another train has crashed into a power line

“There’ll be thousands of people heading for Heathrow missing flights.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Rail strikes: Passengers warned of disruption this weekend as ASLEF walkouts begin | UK News

ASLEF’s train drivers are staging a series of strikes this weekend, marking the start of major disruption over the next week.

Union members at East Midlands Railway and LNER will walk out on Saturday, followed by drivers on four other lines on Sunday.

A total of 15 train operating companies will be affected by strike action between today and Friday 8 December after ASLEF members voted to continue taking industrial action for the next six months.

The strike days are amplified by a union-wide overtime ban which started on Friday and will run until Saturday 9 December.

Full list of dates in December 2023 and rail lines affected

East Midlands Railway said it will not operate services on any of its routes on Saturday, while the overtime ban may cause some late notice cancellations and changes to train times.

Passengers are advised to check before travelling.

LNER is running a reduced timetable between Edinburgh and London and Leeds and London on Saturday.

There will also be no trains to or from London King’s Cross on Sunday due to planned engineering work.

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ASLEF boss: We have no choice

An LNER statement said bus replacements would be in place on Sunday but warned they would have “extremely limited availability and will take considerably longer [approximately 120 minutes].”

Strikes on Sunday will affect Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, Great Northern Thameslink and West Midlands Trains, while more strikes against other operators will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week.

They come days after members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union voted overwhelmingly to accept a deal to end their long-running dispute over pay and conditions.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train companies, has criticised ASLEF for not following RMT’s approach and putting the latest pay offer to its members, which it says would take average driver salaries from £60,000 to nearly £65,000.

File photo dated 03/06/2023 of members of the Aslef union on a picket line near to Leeds train station. Rail passengers are being warned to expect disruption over the next week because of strikes and an overtime ban by train drivers in their long-running dispute over pay. Members of Aslef at 16 train operating companies will refuse to work overtime from Friday until December 9 and will stage a series of strikes between December 2 and 8. Issue date: Friday December 1, 2023.
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An ASLEF picket line in Leeds

ASLEF’s general secretary Mick Whelan said he has not had any talks with employers since April and has not met Transport Secretary Mark Harper since last December.

“We are in this for the long haul,” he said.

“Our members, who have not had a pay rise for nearly five years now, are determined that the train companies and the Tory government that stands behind them do the right thing.

“The cost of living has soared since the spring and summer of 2019, when these pay deals ran out.

“The bosses at the train companies – as well as Tory MPs and government ministers – have had increases in pay. It’s unrealistic and unfair to expect our members to work just as hard for what, in real terms, is considerably less.

“These are key workers who kept the country moving throughout the pandemic. They are simply asking for a fair and decent deal.”

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An RDG spokesperson said: “This unnecessary and avoidable industry action called by the ASLEF leadership has been targeted to disrupt customers and businesses ahead of the vital festive period.

“It will also inflict further damage on an industry that is receiving up to an additional £175m a month in taxpayer cash to keep services running, following the COVID downturn.”

Rail minister Huw Merriman said: “Following RMT members voting to overwhelmingly accept the train operators’ pay offer, ASLEF is now not just the only rail union still striking but the only union not to even put an offer to its members.

“They are instead choosing to cause more misery for passengers and the hospitality sector this festive period.”

“The fair and reasonable offer that’s long been on the table would bring the average train driver’s salary up to £65,000 for a 35-hour, four-day week,” Mr Merriman added.

“ASLEF’s leadership should follow in the footsteps of all the other rail unions by doing the right thing and giving their members a say on that offer.”

Passengers who still intend to travel on days affected by strikes and overtime bans have been encouraged to check the National Rail’s journey planner before setting off.

More than 1,000 officers drafted in to help Met Police amid pressure to prevent remembrance disruption | UK News

More than 1,000 officers from forces around the country will be drafted in to help the Metropolitan Police this weekend amid intense political pressure to prevent disruption to remembrance events.

Police chiefs have backed Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley’s decision to resist banning a pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day despite comments from the prime minister and the home secretary.

Gavin Stephens, who is chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), said demonstrations which have seen hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets across the country over the past five weeks in response to the Israel-Hamas war had been “largely peaceful”.

He told reporters there had not been “serious violence or serious disorder”, other than some highly publicised incidents, although there was a “minority intent on disrupting the law-abiding masses”.

With protesters and counter-demonstrators expected to travel to London this weekend from across the country, more than 1,000 officers are being drafted in from other forces in every region of England and Wales.

Rishi Sunak said he would hold Sir Mark accountable for allowing the pro-Palestine march to go ahead, while Suella Braverman provoked widespread condemnation for an article she wrote in The Times.

She once again described those taking part as “hate marchers” and accused police of “playing favourites” with left-wing groups over right-wing and nationalist activists.

More on Metropolitan Police

Mr Stephens said it is not the job of police to hold the home secretary to account but stressed the importance “that the public debate doesn’t feature in our operational decision-making” because it would “fundamentally undermine” policing.

“In policing we need the space to make difficult operational decisions in an independent manner,” he said.

“The decisions that we take are not easy ones, but we do so impartially, without fear or favour, and in line with both the law and our authorised professional practice.”

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Will the PM sack Braverman?

Asked if police were biased, he said decisions were taken “without fear or favour”, adding: “We do not take into account whatever our personal view may be on a topic.”

Mr Stephens also said he considered it a civic responsibility to use language carefully and not stoke community tensions.

“I do what I can to give that reassurance to keep temperatures low when we are in times of such awful, tragic international conflict that is affecting so many families across the world and language is important,” he said.

“And our actions in diffusing tensions are important. And we take those very seriously in policing.”

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Some 29 people were arrested over the protest last weekend, during which fireworks were thrown, while previous weeks, where up to 2,000 officers have been on duty, have seen troubling incidents of antisemitism and support for banned terrorist group Hamas, and a member of the crowd at a fringe Hizb ut-Tahrir protest chanting “jihad”.

Organisers say Saturday’s protest will be “well away” from the Cenotaph – going from Hyde Park, around a mile from the war memorial in Whitehall, to the US embassy – and won’t start until after the 11am silence.

The route marchers plan to take on Armistice Day.
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The route marchers plan to take on Armistice Day

Chief Constable Chris Haward, who is leading the national police response to the Israel-Hamas war, said even if the march was banned, protesters would still have the right to gather in one place.

“The threshold (for a ban) is extremely high. It is about serious violence, and not about the words that might be chanted,” he said.

“Even if you ban the march, you cannot ban the assembly. You will still expect to have 100,000 people, maybe more, turning up who will then be in a static position.”

He said counter-protests would be facilitated “without bias” but warned hate crime or law-breaking will not be tolerated.

Mr Haward also revealed a surge in hate crime following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October has been particularly big in London, with the Met currently accounting for more than 70% of offences nationally, compared to less than a quarter normally.

Air traffic control: NATS ‘not ruling out anything’ after glitch causes widespread disruption | UK News

The chief executive of National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has said he cannot reveal the cause of the glitch which has affected thousands of passengers but is “not ruling out anything at this stage”.

Martin Rolfe said on Tuesday evening that an initial investigation had found that the air traffic control failure was caused by flight data received.

However, he later told Sky News: “You will understand we have very complex systems, handling something in the region of two million flights a year and the safety of those passengers is incredibly important to us.

“We are not going to rush into saying what the cause is until we absolutely fully understand.”

Night flights given go ahead to ease disruption – air traffic chaos latest

Reports have suggested the chaos may have been caused after a French airline misfiled its flight plan.

Without confirming the reports, Mr Rolfe said: “It could be a single flight plan… if it is a flight plan that has caused this, we know it is something in the flight data and we will get to the bottom of it and understand why.”

A woman points at a flight board at Heathrow Airport, as Britain's National Air Traffic Service (NATS) restricts UK air traffic due to a technical issue causing delays

However, he added: “I’m not ruling out anything at this stage.

“We are conducting an investigation, we will conduct it incredibly thoroughly.”

Despite Mr Rolfe saying he is not ruling anything out, NATS said earlier there is “no indication” it was targeted in a cyber attack.

Hundreds of flights around the UK have been cancelled after yesterday’s air traffic control disruption. The incident on Bank Holiday Monday meant flight plans had to be uploaded to systems manually, slowing or cancelling air traffic across the country.

Thousands of passengers were affected by yesterday’s disruption – and many are still waiting for their flights today.

NATS suffered what it described as a “technical issue”, preventing it from automatically processing flight plans.

This resulted in flights to and from UK airports being restricted while the plans were checked manually.

NATS said at 3.15pm on Monday the problem was resolved, but disruption continued into Tuesday as many aircraft and crews were out of position.

Read more:
‘I’ve been awake for 22 hours stranded in a foreign airport’
Airline boss blasts flight delays as thousands stranded
Am I entitled to compensation after air traffic control chaos?

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Hundreds ‘stranded in shocking conditions’

Analysis of flight data websites shows at least 281 flights – including departures and arrivals – were cancelled on Tuesday at the UK’s six busiest airports.

This consisted of 75 at Gatwick, 74 at Heathrow, 63 at Manchester, 28 at Stansted, 23 at Luton and 18 at Edinburgh.

EasyJet announced it will run five repatriation flights to Gatwick following the air traffic control fault as well as operating larger aircraft on key routes.

Aviation analytics company Cirium said 790 departures and 785 arrivals were cancelled across all UK airports on Monday.

That was equivalent to around 27% of planned flights and means around a quarter of a million people were affected.

British athletes were stranded in Budapest after the World Championships.

Passengers at Heathrow Airport as disruption from air traffic control issues continues across the UK and Ireland. Travel disruption could last for days after flights were cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded during a technical fault in the UK's air traffic control (ATC) system. Picture date: Tuesday August 29, 2023.
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Passengers at Heathrow Airport

A group of around 40 athletes and staff from UK Athletics returned to their hotel in the Hungarian capital on Monday night because of the flight chaos.

Some of the affected athletes chose to travel directly to Zurich for Thursday’s Diamond League event.

Holidaymakers stuck in the UK and abroad described their frustration, as some had no idea when or how they would get to their destination.

Vicki Ostrowski has emailed Sky News to say she was stranded in Oslo with a “disabled, wheelchair-bound passenger with a neurological disease, an 83-year-old frail relative, plus three other family members”.

She added: “I myself will run out of essential heart medication two days before the flight they have reassigned us on 2 September at 5pm!”

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Traveller stranded without medication

Kayleigh, another reader, got in touch to say she was stuck at Las Palmas airport in Gran Canaria.

“It’s been 13 hours, it’s freezing, and we are trying to get some sleep on the cold floor,” she said.

“There are children lying on the cold floor, people making public speeches about the airline and it is sheer pandemonium.

“I have never felt so helpless. Been awake for 22 hours. We’ve now spent 14 hours in the airport. We were told if we waited 2-3 hours they would sort out a hotel.

“We have still heard nothing with ground staff saying they don’t know anything and no one has been around to check if people are okay!”

Train strikes: Commuters warned to expect disruption as 20,000 rail workers stage walkout in ongoing pay row | UK News

More than 20,000 rail workers will strike on Thursday in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions – with passengers warned they may experience severe disruption to services.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out on 20, 22 and 29 July while drivers in Aslef are banned from working overtime this week.

RMT members involved in the strikes include station workers, train managers and catering staff with 14 train companies affected.

Read more: A full list of July dates and services affected by industrial action

The industrial action will see variations in services across the country with trains due to start later and finish much earlier than usual.

Around half of train services will run in some areas, while others will have no services at all.

Services the evening before and morning after strike days may also be affected.

Passengers have been advised to check their journeys in advance.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the strikes would show the country “just how important railway staff are to the running of the rail industry”.

“My team of negotiators and I are available 24/7 for talks with the train operating companies and Government,” he said.

Mr Lynch said neither party had “made any attempt whatsoever to arrange any meetings or put forward a decent offer that can help us reach a negotiated solution”.

“The Government continues to shackle the companies and will not allow them to put forward a package that can settle this dispute,” he added.

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Starmer: Strikes ‘are government’s mess’

Meanwhile, Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said the union wants to resolve the dispute.

“Train drivers don’t want to be inconveniencing the public,” he said.

“We have given the Government and rail operators plenty of opportunities to come to the table but it remains clear that they do not want a resolution.

“Our members, the drivers who keep the railway running day in, day out, will not accept the Government’s attempts to force our industry into decline.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, joins union members on the picket line outside Newcastle station. Rail passengers will suffer fresh travel disruption in the next few days because of more strikes in long-running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions. Picture date: Wednesday May 31, 2023.
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Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, joins union members on the picket line outside Newcastle station in May

A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: “The upcoming rail strikes called by the RMT union and the overtime ban by Aslef will undoubtedly cause some disruption, affecting not only the daily commute of our passengers but also disrupting the plans of families during the summer holidays.

Members of the drivers' union Aslef on the picket line at Euston station, London, during their long-running dispute over pay. Picture date: Friday May 12, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story INDUSTRY Strikes. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
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Members of the drivers’ union Aslef on the picket line at Euston station, London in May

“This will lead to disappointment, frustration, and financial strain for tens of thousands of people. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and understand the impact on individuals and businesses.

“While we are doing all we can to keep trains running, unfortunately there will be reduced services between 17 July and 29 July so our advice is to check before you travel.

“Passengers with advance tickets can be refunded fee-free if the train that the ticket is booked for is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled.”

Read more:
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London Underground passengers were also warned to expect disruption next week because of industrial action by the RMT and Aslef in a separate dispute.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The Government has met the rail unions, listened to them and facilitated improved offers on pay and reform. The union leaders should put these fair and reasonable offers to their members so this dispute can be resolved.”