Heathrow Airport chaos caused by a fire at a nearby electrical substation could prove “nefarious actors” with a newfound impetus, according to GB News Deputy Political Editor Tom Harwood.
Speaking on the People’s Channel, Tom feared the developments at the international travel hub could be a “green flag” for those who intend to do Britain harm.
“It’s extraordinary that this single point of failure for a critical element of national infrastructure can be hit so widely”, he said.
“What we want to ask is number one, how long will this go on? And number two, what are the knock-on impacts for this country?
Tom Harwood fears 'nefarious actors' will be emboldened
GB NEWS / PA
“And number three, what does this say about how secure our energy infrastructure is in this country?
“What if a nefarious actor wanted to come and take out something that is so critical to our running as a country? This is a big green flag to any terror group or state actor that wants to do us harm.”
The fire broke out just two miles away from Heathrow AirportLONDON FIRE BRIGADEAirport authorities have warned of "significant disruption" over the coming days, with hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers affected.
The blaze broke out late Thursday night at a substation in Hayes, near the airport.
"Passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens," Heathrow officials said in a statement on their website.
London Fire Brigade described it as a "significant" incident, with assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne stating firefighters were "working tirelessly in challenging conditions".
The ongoing travel chaos at Heathrow was discussed on GB News
GB NEWS
The fire was first reported at 11:23 pm Thursday.
"The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption," Goulbourne said.
British utility firm Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks reported that more than 16,000 homes in the area were left without power due to an "unplanned outage".
The closure will impact Europe's busiest airport, which welcomed a record 84 million passengers in 2024.
This represents an increase of three million compared to the previous high in 2019, before the pandemic.
Heathrow handles approximately 1,300 takeoffs or landings daily.
According to Flightradar tracking site, at least 1,351 flights to and from the airport will be affected by the closure.
