A MAJOR airport is closed after a thunderstorm caused damage to air traffic control systems.
All flights are grounded from Bristol Airport, according to traffic monitoring site Inrix.
Passengers are being urged to contact their airline and to check before they travel.
The airport’s website says: “Following the earlier electrical storm, Bristol Airport remains closed to arriving and departing aircraft whilst engineers investigate a fault with Air Traffic Control systems.
“Customers should contact their airline with any specific flight queries.”
It comes as Britain bakes under a red heat warning this week, with temperatures set to soar to 37C.
The extreme weather is also causing further travel chaos this morning – after thunderstorms and torrential downpours overnight.
Operators are imposing emergency speed restrictions and warning passengers to expect longer journey times.
London’s transport network has been hit hard, with the Circle line suspended and severe delays on the Hammersmith & City line, as well as parts of the District line shut and the Elizabeth line experiencing significant delays.
Services between Heathrow Terminal 4 and Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 are also suspended.
The storms battered the South West of England last night, with hundreds of homes in Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Bristol being struck with temporary blackouts.
Meanwhile, passengers in the South East saw delays due to signalling issues.
Southeastern warned: “With ongoing thunderstorms and heavy rain in a number of areas, speed restrictions have been imposed in many places across the network as a precaution.
“Trains are continuing to run on all routes but your journey may take longer than expected.”
It comes after an inferno raged through a suburban home after the roof was reportedly struck by lightning in the Emersons Green area of Bristol.
The Met Office‘s amber extreme heat warning is in force through to Thursday night.
But a second, more extreme red warning comes into force across Wednesday and Thursday for parts of southern England, as well as the Midlands and southern Wales.
From Friday conditions are expected to start turning slightly less intense.
Highs of 33C are still forecast in areas of Eastern England, but the worst of the heat should be beginning to pass.
By the weekend, temperatures are forecast to drop to the mid-20s.