FLIGHTS from Cardiff and Bristol airports remain grounded today due to the cloud of volcanic ash.

Flights to and from the airports are suspended until 01:00 on Saturday at the earliest.

A few flights in and out of the UK, however have been allowed.

Making the latest no-fly decision, air traffic control company Nats said the cloud of volcanic ash from the Iceland eruption continued to cover much of the UK.

But Nats did say some flights in Northern Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland to and from Glasgow and Prestwick would continue to be allowed until 7pm and that some transatlantic flights to and from Glasgow, Prestwick and Belfast could be permitted as well.

For a second day running air passengers scrambled to take up other travelling options.

Channel Tunnel high-speed train company Eurostar reported a sell-out of its 58 London St Pancras to and from Paris and Brussels services.

A spokeswoman for the company said: "We are carrying more than 46,000 people today and all our trains are full. We are telling potential customers without bookings not to come to St Pancras because they will not be able to travel."

Cross-Channel ferry services have been inundated with passengers displaced by the airline chaos. The Port of Dover said ferry operators made arrangements during the night to take additional foot passengers on sailings.

The ash, from the Icelandic mountain Eyjaffjalljokull, also caused airport and aircraft movement shutdowns in other parts of Europe, including France, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Holland.

The microscopic particles which make up volcanic ash pose a threat to aircraft because they can affect visibility and get sucked into aircraft engines, causing them to shut down.

On Thursday, airports across the country, which had been able to handle some early-morning arrivals and departures before the flight ban, effectively shut down from noon - and passengers were warned to expect more disruption on Friday.

The restrictions were necessary because volcanic ash can damage aircraft engines.

Have you been hit by the disruption?

Were you meant to fly to or from a UK airport today?

Have your plans over the next few days been affected? Maybe you're you due to go on honeymoon.

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