The key facts

  • The Met Office issued a yellow fog warning for most of England and eastern Wales; visibility fell below 50 metres in places
  • Over the weekend, fog caused a 30-vehicle crash on the M20 (two people seriously injured) and a 19-vehicle crash on the A303
  • Warnings extended: a new yellow level covers the Midlands, East Anglia, parts of Wales and northern England until Tuesday

Fog paralysed transport on Monday

On Monday, dense fog disrupted road, rail and air traffic in several regions of the United Kingdom: yellow weather warnings were in force, and visibility dropped to dangerously low levels. The UK's national weather service, the Met Office, issued a yellow fog warning covering most of England and eastern Wales — from Canterbury to Cardiff, from Hull to St Asaph and from Southampton to York, including London, Birmingham and part of Greater Manchester. According to the Anadolu, visibility was forecast to fall below 50 metres in some areas, creating hazardous driving conditions and raising the risk of delays and cancellations of buses, trains, ferries and flights.

Impact on passengers and roads

Heathrow Airport urged passengers to contact their airlines in advance before travelling, and drivers heading to the airport to allow extra time for the journey. In addition, part of the southbound carriageway of the M40 motorway was closed following an accident between junction 1A near Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire and junction 1, which connects the motorway to the M25.

Mass crashes over the weekend

The weekend also brought serious transport problems in England and Wales. According to BBC reports cited by Anadolu, about 30 vehicles were involved in a collision on the M20 motorway in Kent, leaving two people seriously injured. A separate crash involving 19 vehicles occurred on the A303 in Hampshire. Fog on Saturday evening also reduced visibility for spectators at the FA Cup match between Altrincham and Notts County.

Warnings extended until Tuesday

The Met Office had expected the fog to gradually clear during Monday morning, although isolated patches could persist into the afternoon. Nevertheless, on Monday morning the weather service issued a new yellow warning for dense fog forecast to last until Tuesday: it covers parts of the Midlands, East Anglia, eastern and north-eastern Wales, as well as southern areas of northern England. Thus, despite the expected improvement on Monday, the risk of transport disruption remains into the early part of the week.