UK flight cancellations: Snow and extreme weather sees over 1,250 flights cancelled as Heathrow Airport grounds 358 planes

More than 1,250 flights to and from UK and Irish airports have been grounded as fierce Storm Emma kept a firm grip on the country.

Passengers travelling from major flight hubs including Heathrow and Gatwick faced cancellations as more heavy snow and freezing gales lashed Britain and Ireland.

Some 358 flights were grounded at Heathrow, 54 at London City and 38 at Gatwick as Storm Emma wreaked havoc.

All three urge people to check their flight status before travelling to the airport.

Where are the most flights delayed?

London Heathrow: 358

Dublin: 338

Edinburgh: 120

Glasgow International: 77

Bristol: 62

London City: 54

Manchester: 40

London Gatwick: 38

Cork: 38

Birmingham: 34

Dublin Airport suffered 338 cancellations while Edinburgh, Glasgow International, Bristol and Manchester were also affected.

Ryanair announced on Friday that all flights scheduled to and from Dublin, Cork, Kerry, Knock and Shannon Airports had been cancelled.

Bosses advised passengers using other airports to check before they travelled.

Aer Lingus also cancelled all short-haul arrivals and departures at Dublin, Shannon, Cork, Belfast and Knock.

The major disruption comes amid a week-long Arctic blast for the UK and Ireland.

Yellow weather warnings were in place across swathes of Britain amid extreme weather conditions.

This afternoon two of the UK's biggest commuter rail firms warned commuters to return home as “early as possible”. - Evening Standard