A fire which has broken out near Heathrow Airport has sparked total chaos as "severe delays" have hit a major London network - throwing people's holidays into disarray.
London Heathrow announced that it would be shut the entire day after a huge fire blazed across a close by electrical substation, causing a mass power outage and thousands of delays across the capital.
So far, around 1,351 flights have been disrupted ahead of the weekend, as Europe's busiest airport is shut down, while commuters face a troublesome journey into work on Friday morning.
The Elizabeth, Jubilee and Central lines are all experiencing severe and minor train delays as a result of cancellations throughout the morning.
Plumes of smoke have been seen soaring into the skyPACurrently, the Elizabeth line is entirely suspended between Hayes and Harlington and Heathrow.
Huge disruption is expected on mainline trains travelling towards London Heathrow, while other major London lines and stations have not yet reported any further delays.
Currently, the M4 towards the hub is reportedly closed southbound between the M4 and J4A as a result of the overnight blaze, causing early morning commuters absolute chaos.
There are significantly long queues along M25 Junction 14 Terminal 5 access road.
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The fire broke out just two miles away from Heathrow AirportLONDON FIRE BRIGADE"Significant disruption is expected over the coming days," a Heathrow spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Heathrow Express has suspended its entire service for the day.
Earlier this morning, the official account for the line shared online: "No services in either direction due to a fire alert at a station. Due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation, Heathrow Airport is CLOSED until further nothing.
"Please DO NOT ATTEMPT to travel to the airport under any circumstance."
Heathrow Airport has been closed for the day
GBNOther lines into London including trains from Southern Rail - which is reporting minor delays into the city.
The closure of the world's fifth-largest airport has caused people on social media to share their incredulity at the situation.
One posted on X: "Heathrow being closed all day is going to cause absolute Bedlam."
Another said: "Britain is a global laughing stock.
"A single electrical fire closes Heathrow. No resilience planning."
Heathrow Airport has said that it expects to be open again at midnight tonight.
