23/01/2017 South Today

A day of disruption caused by freezing fog, warnings of similar

conditions tomorrow. Dense fog patches would reduce

visibility tonight and tomorrow, details shortly. Also the drivers

still using their mobile phones at the wheel. We join the police on

their latest crackdown. Widespread freezing fog is expected

to cause more travel disruption Today, thousands of air

passengers faced delays and cancellations at Gatwick,

Heathrow and Southampton airports. Ferry services to and from the Isle

of Wight were also disrupted And there were dozens of accidents

on roads across the region this morning as drivers faced the twin

hazards of fog and ice. In a moment we'll hear

why the fog poses such a problem for our airports,

but first Steve Humphrey reports on a frustrating day

for many travellers. It is a blanket of fog that has

caused widespread travel disruption. Airports have been in the thick of

it, literally. The fog wrecked this family's hopes

for a smooth ride to Disneyland Paris. They left Dorchester at 3am

to get to the airport. We should have flown to Paris at 7:15 a.m.. We

have already missed one day at Disneyland, hopefully we will be

there tomorrow morning. Everyone, holiday makers and business

travellers, it was a very frustrating day. I walk through the

door on the flight was cancelled and they had to join a long queue to get

rebooked. I am trying to get to Edinburgh for work tomorrow and

doesn't like I will get there. As the day progressed, the number of

cancelled flights steadily increased. Altogether, Gatwick

cancelled 42 and arrivals and departures. 100 flights were

also had an impact on the roads with also had an impact on the roads with

61 crashes in Hampshire 31 in Dorset. And it has been a

challenging day for ferry operators and their passengers on routes to

the Isle of Wight with delays and some cancellations because of the

poor visibility. So why does the fog end up

grounding so many flights? It's a question I put

to Dan Townsend - Southampton Airport's Airside Operations

Manager. Aircraft operating at airports in

the UK have to do so under very strict limitations for visibility

and unfortunately when the fog comes and inevitably the fog brings very

low visibility, below these limits that aircraft type. They are

obviously very technical logical way advanced these days, can't systems

with fog? There are lots of systems that allow them to cope with thick

fog but there are days like today with very bad visibility of the

technology on the aircraft is always ultimately reliant on the human in

the cockpit to have a certain amount of visibility and with thick fog

they just don't have that. Can you tell us what it is like logistical

way for you planning when there is fog forecast? It is complicated. We

are good at it. We spoke to our colleagues in Exeter and we have

done a two our conference call everyday and we work with the

network planners to make sure we can get the most up-to-date information

for all other passengers and ensure they can plan journeys and whether

they have to be cancelled or diverted as well. More fog forecast

for tomorrow so I was looking? As you can see behind me, unfortunately

the fog has come in in the last hour to the levels we are seeing now run

the latest I have heralded as the fog is here to stay for the rest of

the day and possibly until late morning tomorrow. All I can see to

passengers is please do check with your airlines before you travel to

ensure you are as informed as possible before travelling.

Dan Townsend from Southampton Airport there.

Well, more fog is forecast for tomorrow - Steve Humphrey

Steve, what impact is that likely to have -

Yes, it looks like the fog is here to stay overnight.

The MET office has issued a Yellow Severe weather

Already we know that Heathrow expects to be cancelling around

Wightlink has said its Lymington to Yarmouth ferry wont

Red Funnel says delays are likely - and along with other

operators its urging people to check before they travel.

And after all those accidents this morning, Dorset Police issued

a statement today urging drivers to take far more care.

Thanks, Steve, and we'll have the weather with Alexis a bit later.

Meanwhile, Southern Railway will run a full timetable

tomorrow for the first time in nearly two months.

Today, despite a strike by members of the RMT union,

Southern said it managed to run seven in ten services with drivers

For the first time on a strike day Southern Portsmouth and Southampton,

and Sussex passengers had direct services to London.

Separate talks are continuing between the company and the drivers'

union Aslef which has suspended its strikes.

Almost 8,000 motorists were caught using hand-held mobiles at the wheel

in just a week during a major police operation in November.

The figures have been released as a new crackdown starts today.

It's all part of an attempt to make driving whilst

using a hand-held mobile as socially unacceptable as drink-driving.

Duncan Kennedy has been out with a patrol along the M27.

8am this morning and the rush-hour rash of drivers on their phones

We are out with John and Adam from Hampshire Police and they soon

come across this man using his device.

He accepts what he has done and gets a fixed penalty notice.

On another road, this man is texting.

Even in slow traffic it's an offence to use your phone.

He also is pulled over and given a ticket.

We carry on and even with the added dangers of today's fog, drivers

That driver is now about to get on his way, the fourth driver

we have stopped this morning and we have only been

No wonder today's figures show such a huge increase in the number

of drivers using their phones while at the wheel.

In a one-week nationwide police operation last November,

nearly 8,000 people were stopped using a mobile phone.

That's nearly four times the number just two years ago.

I think it's a combination of education, enforcement

on our part and changes to legislation which the government

have obviously planned, and it has taken years

for drink-driving to become socially unacceptable and we need the use

of mobile phones while driving to become unacceptable as well.

In 2015, Lee Martin was killed by a driver using his phone.

His brother said the public must wake up to this menace.

In March, the fines and penalty points will double for drivers

The law is trying to get ahead of people using this behaviour

Prince Harry was in Wiltshire today to see how former members

of the armed forces are being helped with their mental health.

The Prince spent the afternoon at the Help

for Heroes Recovery Centre in Tidworth, which supports

ex-service personnel who are living with anxiety,

He was shown around their project to build an Iron Age roundhouse.

The charity hopes the Prince's visit will help to remove the stigma

I have got both physical and mental issues I need to address, I am no

longer the person I was when I joined the force, and I think we

would all agree it is a therapeutic environment that enables us to

define ourselves by what we can do rather than things we can't do

because of injuries. They are pointed in the general direction of

years and it can be invaluable. That's all from the South Today

news team this evening. We're back tomorrow with bulletins

in BBC Breakfast and there's more Here with our regional weather

forecast is Alexis Green. As you heard earlier than the

programme, dense fog patches are possibility overnight and freezing

in places, the temperature dropping well below freezing so quite a cold

start with the dense fog staying with us but mainly dry up until

Friday with the possibility of a little rain. Overnight fog will

start to develop in the prone sports and overnight the temperature in the

countryside could drop as low as minus six Celsius. These are the

temperature is in our towns and cities with the yellow fog warning

in force throughout the night and tomorrow morning. The fog could

linger well into the afternoon and will start to rise into low cloud in

places. With that, Mr fog lingering and the temperature could struggle

to rise to a high of two Celsius but a high of 4-8 C. For the fog patches

are possibility with areas east of the Isle of Wight seeing more dense

fog patches. The farther west you are the less likelihood of fog. The

temperature falling to freezing or just below. Wednesday we have to

deal with the freezing fog once again in a few places but it starts

to clear and that is because the wind will increase particularly

through parts of Dorset and Wiltshire and where we see that, the

temperature up a notch to around 5-8. Travelling less cold day on day

but Thursday will be bitterly cold. Throwing in freezing a from Europe,

lots of sunshine during the day but given the breeze and the cold air

from the continent it will feel bitterly cold. The rain at times on

Friday, temperature reaching eight Celsius but looking to the weekend,

For the weekend we will have dry weather with sunny spells and it

will be a little bit milder. Good evening. We are continuing to

see huge righty in the weather. Getting the detail right is proving

to be a challenge. This was in Pembrokeshire and other parts of the

UK were gloomy throughout the day. The fog is thickening up right now.

Particularly pool on the M5 in south-west England. Very foggy

across parts of the West Country. This fog is tending to spread its

way further eastwards. Some fog as well across parts of Yorkshire.

Northern Ireland and Scotland are mild but damn. This is how we will

start the day. At eight o'clock in the morning, quite a lot of fog

around which could affect the major airports. What all of us have seen

fog. There will be Sunni areas to western fringes of England and

Wales. Across Northern Ireland and Scotland it is much milder. Some

patchy rain around coming in on the Bruce, particularly over the hills

in the West. Much of that will fade away. It will be relatively mild.

For England and Wales, much of the fog were clear. Some of it will not

sell it will be especially chilly. Quite a contrast in temperatures

again. -- so it will be especially chilly. Despite sunshine, it will be

on the chilly side. The fog will come back again. On Wednesday

morning, Central and eastern parts are particularly prone. Some

sunshine will emerge. Rather more cloud for Northern Ireland and

Scotland. Most of the rain will be held at bay. Still relatively mild.

A real edge to that further south and east. It would be a sign of

things to come. On Thursday we will tap into some particularly cold air

sitting over the continent for several days now. Europe is frozen

at the moment. Some of the freezing cold air will head towards us on a

stiffening south-easterly breeze. Some places will not get above

freezing, maybe the odd snow flurry. Wherever you are, it will feel cold.

All