Tourist hotspots in Spain could be left without water as authorities sound alarm
A series of restrictions have been introduced until the issue is resolved, all while temperatures sit around 36C today on the island, reports Express.co.uk.
To make matters worse, on Monday morning (June 30), it was reported that some parts could be left without water.
READ MORE: Tourists put on notice after Spain introduces new rules affecting accommodation
Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp , click the link to join
Those in the region have been prohibited from filling their swimming pools, watering their gardens and cleaning their vehicles and terraces, with water being reserved for only essential needs.
A spokesperson for the local water board stated: "We continue to recommend using water only for strictly essential needs.
"We apologise for the inconvenience," they added.
The statement continued: "We continue to implement all emergency measures to maintain the water supply: activation of the Gotmar and Can Colet wells, which, together with our other wells, are operating 24 hours a day.
"Despite these efforts, the supply is affected and there may be drops in pressure or temporary service interruptions".
According to the Water Board, supply cuts will occur in Llenaira, Es Pinaret, Putxet, Gotmar, Can Singala, Urbanización de Bóquer, Air Base and Siller.
The cuts are expected to take place between 1pm and 7pm local time (2pm and 8pm BST) on Monday.
There is growing concern in the region, particularly due to the fact that Pollensa hotels and apartments are nearly at 100% occupancy as the busy tourist season begins.
Pollensa has a high tourist-to-resident ratio, one of the highest in the Balearic Islands.
In August, the number of tourists can exceed the number of residents.
Specifically, Pollensa has a tourist-to-resident ratio of 24.8 - significantly higher than the Balearic average of 10.25 and more than four times that of Barcelona on the mainland.
In August last year alone, the town had just under 59.5k tourists.
The ancient town has been heralded as one of Majorca's must-see areas.
It features attractive narrow streets and an impressive main square lined with cafés, restaurants and bars.
All this is just a few miles from Port de Pollenca, a resort particularly popular with Brits for holidays and second homes.
The town has several places of interest to visit, including the still operational Roman bridge, "Pont Roma", and the Puig de Pollensa, a small mountain topped by a monastery, just outside the town.
The Plaça Mayor, dominated by a Parroquial church dating back to the 18th century, is the scene of one of Majorca's best Sunday markets, attracting many nationalities.
The square offers several good cafes where you can enjoy a café con leche and watch the world go by.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Chaos after planes grounded across Britain
Hundreds of thousands of passengers across the UK are suffering travel chaos after an air traffic control failure grounded planes at the start of the school summer holidays. London's airspace was closed for more than an hour because of 'technical issues' said to be caused by a 'radar failure' that last 20 minutes, according to a Department for Transport (DfT) source. Air traffic control provider Nats said its engineers have 'restored the system that was affected' and it is 'in the process of resuming normal operations'. It said the technical issue was at its control centre in Swanwick, Hampshire. More than 120 flights had so far been cancelled by 7.30pm, with fears that the disruption could carry on for days. Aviation data company Cirium said there were 3,080 scheduled departures from UK airports on Wednesday - equating to more than 577,000 seats. Credit:Flightradar24 Ryanair has called for Nats's chief executive Martin Rolfe to resign, claiming 'no lessons have been learnt' since the August 2023 outage when more than 700,000 passengers suffered disruption after Nats suffered a technical glitch. The full cost of that meltdown to airlines, airports passengers and others was around £100 million. Neal McMahon, the Irish-headquartered airline's chief operating officer, said: 'It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe's continued mismanagement of Nats.' He said Ryanair pays Nats more than €100m (£86m) and expects better service. The Liberal Democrats demanded a Government investigation into Wednesday's air traffic control glitch 'to ensure the system is fit for purpose, including ruling out hostile action as a cause'. Sir Ed Davey added: 'The public deserve to have full confidence in such a vital piece of national infrastructure.' Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'I am aware of a technical issue which impacted Nats' operations causing travel disruption this afternoon. 'I have been informed systems have now been restored but continued disruption is expected, and passengers should check with individual airports for advice.' 08:54 PM BST That's all for today Thank you for following our live coverage. Here are the headlines from this afternoon's air traffic control outage: A 'technical issue' thought to be a 'radar failure' at Nats, the air traffic control provider, led to the closure of London's airspace for more than an hour. Cirium, an aviation data company, said more than 120 flights had so far been cancelled by 7.30pm. Passengers spoke of their frustrations at being kept in limbo on the tarmac and worries over missing events such as weddings. The Liberal Democrats called for an investigation to rule out 'hostile action as a cause'. Ryanair called on Martin Rolfe, the head of Nats, to resign over the 'outrageous' disruption. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, said 'continued disruption is expected'. 08:45 PM BST More than 120 flights cancelled More than 120 flights have been cancelled so far today, according to the latest figures from aviation data company Cirium. As of 7.30pm, 67 departures and 55 arrivals were chalked off across all UK airports, with Heathrow seeing the highest number of cancellations so far at 24 departures and 14 arrivals. 08:25 PM BST Government 'working closely' with air traffic control to establish cause The Department for Transport has said it is working closely with Nats, the air traffic control providers, to establish the cause of the technical issue. In a statement, a spokesman said: 'While passengers should continue to check with individual airports for advice, Nats have confirmed their systems are now fully operational and flights are returning to normal. 'We are working closely with Nats to understand the cause of the technical issue and the implications for the resilience systems in place.' The department noted that the Transport Secretary does not have any direct control over Nats and has no powers on staffing decisions. 08:05 PM BST Teenager diverted to Brussels on first unaccompanied trip Standing in front of the departure board at Heathrow Terminal 5, one woman told The Telegraph that her flight delay pales in significance to the travel chaos her teenage son has encountered on the way back from his first solo trip abroad. 'I think my flight to Munich is delayed, but got here early anyway to have a glass of wine,' said Louise, who declined to give her surname. Her flight was not showing as delayed on the departure board by the baggage check-in, but an online tracker suggested it was running an hour and ten minutes late. 'That isn't too bad,' she added. 'But my son, who is 15 and flying for the first time as an unaccompanied minor from Marseille to Heathrow, has landed in Brussels. So I am tracking him as well.' 07:43 PM BST French tourists adopt laissez faire approach to flight chaos French tourists have been left stranded after two flights to Paris were cancelled following the Nats radar failure. A group of about 40 passengers, who were booked onto easyJet and AirFrance flights to Charles de Gaulle Airport, have been plotting alternative ways of getting home. Sophie Viaud, 49, who was scheduled to return to Paris after a 10-day holiday in Scotland with her family, said she was 'sad' her flight had been cancelled. The mother-of-two said she was now planning to fly to Milan on Thursday morning and then onto Paris. 'It's ok, we don't have a choice', she told The Telegraph. Another passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, suggested he was not bothered by the cancellations: 'It's better for the flight to be cancelled than to be killed.' 07:33 PM BST Best man could miss brother's wedding A man stranded at Heathrow Airport is in danger of missing his brother's wedding. John Carr, a chiropodist from Stourbridge, was on his way to Norway with friends to help set up his brother's wedding, for which he is best man, when he found out his flight was cancelled. The 35-year-old said: 'I'm pretty gutted. We've got loads of stuff in the suitcases to set up the venue. 'We've got the wedding rehearsal to do. It's quite stressful.' His friend James Hedges added: 'We found out today; we'd already checked in and gone through the security checks. 'We were in the departures lounge, and we were literally sitting down having a burger when it came up on the (screen). Our flight was still showing as if it was leaving, and they were waiting to give us a gate and that that would be given at 4.45pm. When that time came around, it then switched to cancelled.' Mr Carr and his friends were desperately trying to rebook flights inside the terminal. 'We don't know what we're going to do tonight in terms of accommodation,' he said, adding: 'It's rubbish. There's nothing we can do.' 07:15 PM BST Family's 'trip of a lifetime' in jeopardy A family on the 'trip of a lifetime' have been caught up in the travel chaos at Heathrow Terminal 5. Durand Meachem, 49, from North Carolina, is travelling with his partner and their two daughters on a tour of New York, London, Dubai and Thailand to celebrate his upcoming 50th birthday. 'We are supposed to take off at 10.30pm, but being that no flights have come in, all the flights are delayed,' he told The Telegraph. Mr Meachem said he has been quizzing airport staff to find out details. 'I was asking him a variety of questions about the situation, just because everything is time sensitive, for everyone. Those who are coming in, and those who are leaving.' 07:05 PM BST Airlines 'unlikely' to hand out compensation for flight turmoil Consumer group Which? has advised passengers that the radar failure would likely be classified as an 'extraordinary circumstance' outside of the airline's control, making compensation claims unlikely to succeed. Naomi Leach, deputy editor at Which? Travel, said: 'If your flight is cancelled or delayed, you're unlikely to be owed compensation by the airline as the technical issue is considered an 'extraordinary circumstance' and out of the airline's control. 'However, you do have a right to food or a hotel stay depending on the length of the delay but be sure you keep the receipts as you will need to claim this back from the airline.' On its website, the Citizens Advice Bureau also said that passengers were unlikely to get compensation if a delay was outside an airline's control, such as through bad weather or security risks. 06:53 PM BST 'We'll just go to the bar and have another drink,' says stranded passenger In the departure lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5, confused travellers are milling around, waiting for British Airways to update them on the fate of their flights. 'We don't know if we've been affected yet,' said John Wharton, 56, who, along with Christina Franca, 50, is returning from holiday in Madeira and waiting for a connecting flight home to Jersey. 'We've just travelled back from Madeira. We flew in, got here and just connected to the internet and we've seen all the potential problems.' Despite the prospect of delays, the pair remain optimistic. An earlier Heathrow to Jersey flight due to depart at 4.20pm is now set for 7.20pm, but all later services, including theirs, are still showing as on time. 'We don't know until we start putting our bags in, but we can't put our bags in until 5.40pm, so we are just waiting.' Mr Wharton remains sanguine. 'It's one of those things, you can't do anything about it.' 'We'll just go to the bar and have another drink, so it's fine. These things happen. It's out of our control.' 06:39 PM BST Children offered plane tour to pass the time Children on board a grounded plane have been offered entertainment in the form of taking a look around the cockpit. Dionne Ukleja, who is travelling with her teenage daughter from Heathrow to Houston following a study abroad programme in Oxford, said: 'At one point the pilot even opened up the flight deck and invited the kids to have a look'. She said: 'We were supposed to take off at 2.50pm. We were third in the queue when the radar went down. 'They had us sitting on the tarmac for a while before asking us to move across the airport to park next to the Concorde. After about 20 minutes there, we were sent back to the stands.' 06:33 PM BST Scores of flights cancelled so far A total of 80 flights to and from the UK have been cancelled so far as a direct result of the Nats radar failure. That number is likely to rise, aviation data company Cirium warned, as the full impact of the incident makes itself felt across Britain and the Continent. It does not count the number of delayed flights, which is likely to be in the hundreds if not thousands. A Cirium spokesman said: 'Today, 30 July 2025, has seen a total of 45 departures cancelled so far, across all UK airports. 'There has also been a total of 35 arrivals cancelled so far, across all UK airports. 'London Heathrow has seen the highest number of cancellations so far with a total of 16 departures and seven arrivals so far. Around 16 flights en-route to London Heathrow had to be diverted to other airports, Cirium added. 06:24 PM BST Passengers in limbo becoming 'a little fed up' Passengers on a Heathrow flight, intended for Orly in southern Paris, are now entering their third hour stuck on the tarmac. Aurelia, 51, who was travelling from Heathrow to visit family in France, said her Vueling flight was scheduled to take off at 3.05pm, and said passengers 'are all a little fed up'. She's travelling with her two adult kids but said a number of families with young children are 'roaming around' the cabin, and air hostesses have been 'offering water to people with kids'. Aurelia added that 'even the crew seems to have received limited information' regarding when the plane will get moving. 06:10 PM BST Airlines should give stranded passengers 'food and drink' says regulator Passengers should be given 'food and drink' if they are stranded as a result of the Nats radar system failure, the Civil Aviation Authority has said. In addition, those stranded overnight should be given hotel accommodation as well. Meanwhile, Nats - the air traffic control organisation responsible for the radar system which failed this afternoon - will have to deliver a formal incident report to the authority. A spokesperson for the CAA said: 'We understand the challenges many consumers face following the technical issue that impacted NATS' systems today. Passengers who have been or continue to be impacted can find information about what they are entitled to on our website and social media channels. 'In the event of delays or cancellations, passengers will be expected to be provided with food and drink as well as accommodation if delayed overnight.'Following today's failure, as part of the well-established regulatory processes of NATS' licenced activity, NATS will share an incident report with the CAA.' 05:58 PM BST Lib Dems call for investigation to rule out 'hostile action as a cause' A full investigation into Wednesday's air traffic control glitch must be launched, the Liberal Democrats said. Sir Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said: 'It is utterly unacceptable that after a major disruption just two years ago, air traffic control has once again been hit by a technical fault. 'With thousands of families preparing to go on a well-earned break, this just isn't good enough. 'The Government should launch an urgent investigation to ensure the system is fit for purpose, including ruling out hostile action as a cause. 'The public deserve to have full confidence in such a vital piece of national infrastructure.' 05:45 PM BST Londoner may miss wedding after captain clocked off during delay A Londoner may be unable to attend a wedding after her flight was cancelled because of the airspace outage. Monica Clare, 68, was due to fly with her cousin Geri Hawkins, 71, on Aer Lingus to a wedding in Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. But the 2.40pm flight from Heathrow Airport was cancelled after the captain's shift ended during a delay. Ms Clare, from Brentford, west London, and Ms Hawkins, from Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire, have been left unsure of how they will get to a wedding they are due to attend in Limerick on Friday. 'We went back to the stand for more fuel and possibly a new route out but the backlog of flights is a bit crazy now,' Ms Clare told The Telegraph. 'We had a cup of water. The wedding is in Limerick on Friday but a hotel and hire car are awaiting us tonight. 'I was anxious for getting to Shannon while it's still daylight as I am meant to be driving when I get to the other end. 'But at 5.30pm the captain told us their shift had finished so Aer Lingus HQ in Dublin cancelled the flight. 'We have been told to get updates back at the departure terminal as to when and how we can travel. 'We are completely fed up now.' 05:40 PM BST Heathrow expects flow rate to resume by 7.15pm British Airways said it will be operating 32 flights per hour until 7.15pm at Heathrow Airport, by which time the airline expects to be back to the usual 45 per hour. Disruption spanned an hour or more with some domestic and short European flights that weren't due to reach cruising altitude able to depart but the majority disrupted, with no incoming services possible. Six or seven aircraft that were in the air and due to land were diverted to Paris and Brussels and they're trying to get those passengers home. Other flights were held at foreign airports and that backlog is now being worked through. A British Airways source said: 'We don't know what caused this yet but it appears to have been a radar issue and Nats are responsible for the radar, so you have to say it the buck stops with them.' 05:34 PM BST Ryanair calls for air traffic control boss to resign Martin Rolfe, the head of Nats, must resign after the Wednesday afternoon radar outage that disrupted hundreds of flights to, from and across the UK, Ryanair has said. The airline, one of Europe's largest operators, slammed Nats for 'unacceptable delays' to those 'travelling with young families on long-awaited summer holidays'. Neal McMahon, the Irish-headquartered airline's chief operating officer, said: 'It is outrageous that passengers are once again being hit with delays and disruption due to Martin Rolfe's continued mismanagement of Nats. 'Yet another ATC system failure has resulted in the closure of UK airspace meaning thousands of passengers travel plans have been disrupted. 'It is clear that no lessons have been learnt since the Aug'23 Nats system outage and passengers continue to suffer as a result of Martin Rolfe's incompetenceMr McMahon continued: 'If Nats CEO Martin Rolfe fails to resign on the back of this latest NATS system outage that has disrupted thousands of passengers yet again, then UK Transport Minister Heidi Alexander must act without delay to remove Martin Rolfe and deliver urgent reform of Nats' shambolic ATC service, so that airlines and passengers are no longer forced to endure these preventable delays caused by persistent Nats failures.' 05:25 PM BST Passenger travelling to Greece via Scotland and the Netherlands Jack Rickeard, who earlier explained he was stuck on a grounded plane at Newcastle airport, said he has managed to plot a new route to Rhodes in Greece. 'We have been lucky enough to get a new departure route via Scotland and the Netherlands,' he said, adding that his flight was 'leaving only about an hour late'. 'Not everyone else is as lucky.' 05:22 PM BST London City airport warns of 'cancellations' London City airport has warned that some flights may be cancelled. In a statement on X , a spokesman for the airport said: 'Due to a technical issue with air traffic control across the London area, flights in and out of London airports - including London City Airport - might be delayed or subject to cancellation.' 05:16 PM BST Flights to UK subject to three-hour delays Air traffic control systems are now 'fully operational', Nats has said - although the EU air traffic control agency is warning of delays greater than three hours to UK-bound flights. A Nats spokesperson said: 'Our systems are fully operational and air traffic capacity is returning to normal. Departures at all airports have resumed and we are working with affected airlines and airports to clear the backlog safely. We apologise to everyone affected by this issue.' A Department for Transport source said the outage had lasted for about 20 minutes in total, although that is a much shorter amount of time than UK airspace was closed for. Eurocontrol said in an update to airlines that a 'recovery rate' was in force for flights to the UK, meaning many fewer airliners can be accepted than under normal conditions. Thanks to the 'previous technical issues' delays will persist until at least 9pm London time, with delays 'as high as 200 minutes per flight'. 05:15 PM BST Flights being diverted from diversions James Hall, a features writer at this newspaper, has just touched down at Gatwick from Inverness after narrowly avoiding being diverted to Glasgow. 'We took off in Scotland, got to above the Lake District, were held in holding pattern with other planes and were then told by the pilot that we were being diverted to Glasgow,' he said, adding: 'We headed north again, but 10 minutes later he came back on and said we'd been given a slot at Gatwick. 'So we turned around again.' 05:11 PM BST Pictured: Planes avoid London Airports A timelapse from Flight Radar 24 reveals a plunge in the number of planes over the UK. Many planes have been diverted to mainland Europe. 05:08 PM BST 'Continued disruption is expected,' says Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, has said that 'continued disruption is expected' after the Nats radar failure this afternoon. 'I am aware of a technical issue which impacted Nats' operations causing travel disruption this afternoon,' the Cabinet minister posted on X. 'I have been informed systems have now been restored but continued disruption is expected, and passengers should check with individual airports for advice.' 05:04 PM BST What to do if caught up in London's flight disruption A cancelled or delayed flight has the potential to disrupt even the best-laid travel plans. Never has it been more important to know your rights – especially since, in many cases, you may be entitled to hundreds of pounds in compensation. Below is our guide on everything you need to know if you have been caught up in today's travel chaos. Read the guide here. 05:01 PM BST Virgin Atlantic expecting 'disruption' Virgin Atlantic flights will be delayed because of the outage, the airline has confirmed. One of the airline's planes travelling from Lagos, Nigeria, has been diverted to Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. 'Due to a technical issue at Nats Swanwick air traffic control, some UK arrivals and departures are subject to delays and disruption,' a spokesman said. 'We apologise in advance to customers who may be affected.' 04:56 PM BST Passengers stranded on the tarmac Passengers have been left stranded after a radar failure closed parts of the UK airspace. Isabella Shepherd-Evans is 'stuck on the tarmac of Faro' after her flight was turned around just as the pilot started to taxi down the runway. 'Flight attendants were handing out water and both doors were opened, warning of lengthy delays,' she told The Telegraph. Domenico Sorrentino has also been affected by the airspace closure. His 12:45PM flight from Naples to Gatwick was diverted to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. He said he's aiming to go 'back home' but there's been no news from EasyJet as of yet. Dominic says the Airline is 'waiting for information' on what's happened. He's travelling alone, heading home to Portsmouth. For now he's waiting in the airport to see when his flight will be. Jack Rickeard is stuck at the gate of a Jet2 flight from Newcastle to Rhodes. He said he has 'been told by the pilot that we are likely to be delayed for at least 3 hours unless they can arrange an alternative route that avoids London airspace. He added: 'All other flights leaving Newcastle are delayed, there has already been an Aberdeen to Heathrow flight divert into here.' 04:49 PM BST 'Vast majority' of British Airways flights affected The 'vast majority' of British Airways flights have been affected by the airspace issue, the airline has confirmed. 'Like all airlines, we are dealing with the impact of an Air Traffic Control issue that is affecting the vast majority of our flights,' a spokesman said. 'Whilst this is entirely outside of our control, we want to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience and assure them that our teams are working hard to get their journeys back on track as quickly as possible.' 04:46 PM BST Europe braces for knock-on delays A source in Eurocontrol, the pan-European air traffic control service, said radar failure was an isolated incident in the UK, with no reported outages in continental Europe. The service was alerted by the British authorities that the failure would halt departures for between 30 and 60 minutes. They have since been informed that the radar failure has been resolved but will cause further 'huge delays' as a repercussion. Airports in Amsterdam, Paris and Brussels are all expected to be hit by knock on effects. However, the Northern European hubs are not yet regulating their service, despite taking a number of diverted flights. Credit:Flightradar24 04:44 PM BST Outage potentially affected hundreds of thousands of passengers Today's outage may have affected hundreds of thousands of passengers, data about the number of flights arriving and departing from British airports suggests. Cirium, an aviation data company, said there were a total of 3,080 scheduled departures from UK airports today, equating to more than 577,000 seats. Similarly, 3,090 flights were timetabled to arrive at British airports, bringing in a total of 579,000 passengers if every single seat was filled. Many of those flights, having landed or departed earlier today, will not have been affected by Wednesday afternoon's outage, which appears to have lasted just over an hour. Nonetheless, the knock-on effects are likely to last for the rest of the day and potentially into tomorrow. This comes as Friday, 1 August 2025, is projected to be the busiest day for global air traffic this year, based on scheduled flights, with a flight departing every 0.75 seconds somewhere around the world, on average. 04:43 PM BST 'Going nowhere,' says passenger Passengers have reported being grounded at Heathrow Airport after 'radar issues' closed swathes of UK airspace. The problem is said to have now been resolved but delays and cancellations are still likely to persist. 04:32 PM BST Analysis: Shutdown echoes summer 2023 The nationwide air traffic control shutdown this afternoon will immediately bring to mind the vast Nats outage of summer 2023. During that incident, which also happened during the key summer season, more than 700,000 passengers were stranded when flights had to be grounded following a technical glitch. A radar failure is said to be the cause of Wednesday's meltdown so far but details are, at the time of writing, scant. A simultaneous nationwide radar failure suggests at the very least a critical computer failure. The cause of that failure will be keenly scrutinised over the coming days, weeks and months. The full cost of that meltdown to airlines, airports passengers and others was around £100 million. Today's outage is shorter than 2023's four-hour meltdown, but the costs are likely to be in the same ballpark. An inquiry set up by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the regulator, into the August 28, 2023 incident found that Nats had rostered a support engineer to be on-call and working from home rather than on site that day, despite it being one of the busiest of the year in terms of passenger numbers. 04:31 PM BST Problem resolved but disruption likely to continue The radar fault that forced the closure of all London-controlled airspace over the UK has now been fixed, Nats has said within the last few minutes, but knock-on delays are likely to continue. A spokesman for Nats said: 'Our engineers have now restored the system that was affected this afternoon. We are in the process of resuming normal operations in the London area. 'We continue to work closely with airline and airport customers to minimise disruption. 'We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.' 04:30 PM BST 'Radar issues' causing nationwide shutdown London's skies are beginning to reopen, Eurocontrol has said within the last few minutes. The cause of the nationwide shutdown is said to be 'radar issues'. All of England and Wales' skies are controlled by Nats, the British air traffic control centre, from its HQ at Swanwick in Hampshire. A radar failure would leave controllers unable to see which aeroplanes are where in the sky, potentially affecting flight safety. The Telegraph has obtained footage from on board a plane at Faro airport in which an announcement blames 'radar system back in the UK' . Credit: Isabella Shepherd-Evans for The Telegraph 04:28 PM BST No departures from Gatwick Gatwick Airport has confirmed that the 'technical issue' impacting Nats was impacting all outbound flights across the UK. A spokesman for Gatwick said: 'A technical issue impacting NATS is affecting all outbound flights across the UK. 'There are currently no departures from London Gatwick while the situation is being resolved. 'We are working with NATS to resume flights as quickly as possible. Inbound flights are still landing at the airport. Passengers should check the status of their flights with their airline.' 04:21 PM BST Flights landing but skies sparse A Eurocontrol notice seen by The Telegraph instructed airlines that London airspace was closed to all incoming flights from 2.39pm GMT today. Flights that are still airborne over Britain appear to be landing safely as planned, according to Flight Radar 24 data, but planes appeared to be avoiding the airspace over London. Credit:Flightradar24 04:18 PM BST Flight paths over London 'limited' A spokesman for Nats, the air traffic control company in charge of Britain's skies, acknowledged a 'technical issue' but said he could give no indication of when the problems would be fixed. He said: 'As a result of a technical issue at Nats Swanwick air traffic control centre, we are limiting the number of aircraft flying in the London control area in order to ensure safety, which is always our first priority. 'We apologise for any delays this may cause. Our engineers are working hard to resolve the problem as quickly as possible and we are working closely with airlines to help minimise disruption. 'At this stage we cannot say how long it will be before operations are back to normal. 'Please check with your airline on the status of your flight.' 04:14 PM BST Good afternoon Welcome to our live coverage. We will be bringing you all the latest updates from the reported closure of London's airspace. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Mountaineer summits little-known peak between Banff and Jasper, proposes official name
ICEFIELDS PARKWAY – Outside his window in the staff accommodation unit of the Columbia Icefields Discovery Centre, British mountaineer Andy Everett has a clear view of the curve-shaped peak known as 'Nigel SE3' or 'Nigel 2' – a mountain thought by many in the community to be unclimbed. Standing beside the popular Nigel Peak and perched right on the boundary of Jasper and Banff National Park, the climb quickly became Everett's season objective. 'It doesn't look so much like that from the other side if you're coming up from Banff, but from [the Icefields Parkway] … looking south towards it, it's got this really iconic shape,' said Everett. Working as an Ice Explorer driver in the Columbia Icefields after travelling the world for several years, Everett's itch for exploration only grew when he came to the Rockies in 2024. Eager to tick the peak off his list, Everett and his friend Barney Crump set out for a reconnaissance hike on June 6, going just short of the summit. 'Whenever I see a mountain, if it looks cool, I'm like, 'I want to climb that.' It doesn't matter which country I'm in or where I am,' said Everett. 'I remember everyone always saying that as far as we know, 'No, no one's ever climbed this mountain,' so that was a big draw as well. I would've done it anyway, but the fact that no one else had done it, it kind of made it even more urgent that I was like, 'Oh, I'll have to be the first.'' Joined by a third friend, Tobias White, everything fell into place for a summit attempt on June 26 and the three Brits took off via Nigel's Pass. Having done the recce hike and after reading a blog page from a hiker who made it just short of the summit, Everett knew what to expect and came prepared for 'the gap' – the section just below the true summit that requires about eight metres of vertical climbing. 'It's a bit unnerving, but then there's one point where basically there's some protection we can put in at the bottom of the route.' 'But to get to the top, I had to outclimb the protection … You're effectively soloing at that point, like the protection's going to stop me bouncing down the mountain, but I'll still hit the deck,' said Everett, describing the final climb. Belayed by his friends below, Everett completed the 'sketchy' climbing section that finishes with a scramble on even more loose rock. 'We didn't think that anyone had ever been up there, so we didn't even know it was possible … it was very kind of nerve wracking picking our way through because we didn't really know whether any of it was doable and how the quality of the rock and how stable it was going to be,' said Crump. Looking back down from the top, Everett noticed a rusted piton driven into a crack – evidence that proved he actually wasn't the first to set foot on the over 3,000-metre summit. 'I got to the top, my friends are cheering … and I look down and I see … there's a piton in the top and I thought, 'Oh, bugger. You know, just [as we're] cheering and we're celebrating I realize that someone's kind of beat me to it, so that was that point I realized someone else had done it,' he said. Now at the true summit, Everett found a rusted jar with a note inside listing the names of several parties who had summited the peak years before him – the first in June 1966, followed by two more summits several weeks later, one in 1992 and another in 2020. 'I was speechless [when I saw the piton]. I didn't speak for about 30 seconds afterwards. It was such a mission to get it there, but the jar made it better, at least. It was a little time capsule to find, so that soothed my pain.' Among the names scribbled down on two of the expeditions was Hans Fuhrer, a ski instructor and park warden who summited many peaks in the area over the years. 'Given when the highway was built and given when he climbed it, I presume [Fuhrer] was the first person ever to do it unless, you know, someone went up without a jar before him, but I'm guessing he's the first,' said Everett. Well-known Jasper guide Peter Amann had also once stood where Everett was with a summit in September 1992. Everett's top made it the sixth expedition the mountain had seen. Beside the names of several local legends, Everett jotted down his, along with the date and a message: 'Sketchy climb, but feel good for doing it. Well done all for getting here! Thanks to Barney Crump and Tobias White who helped me get here and waited below.' 'I thought that was a really special moment because it's not really something that you ever find on top of mountains. You know, maybe there could be a drop box sometimes in places in Europe, but you know, a glass jar that's been there for over 60 years and also the fact that it had very specifically written down the amount of people that done it,' said Crump. A longstanding dream now accomplished; Everett felt it only right the peak be given an official name. 'No one else has really called it anything. I've seen a million different names online. Some people call it 'Nigel 2' because it's close to Nigel Peak. Some people have said 'Nigel SW3', but there seems to be no official name or nothing deserving of it anyway,' said Everett. In honour of his parents, Dave and Lorraine, Everett says the name 'Mount Dave Lorraine' has already caught on in his circle of friends and coworkers in the Icefields. Now he's submitting a proposal, hoping to make the name official. 'It'd be nice to get it named after my parents, but even just any name I think is good enough. I think it deserves one.' Having grown up climbing back home in Northern England, Everett credits his father for teaching him all the skills he's now put to practice in his own mountaineering and climbing ventures over the years. 'My dad, he's kind of taught me everything I know anyway [about mountaineering], so I think it seems only right to sort of credit him with it. My mom not so much if I'm being honest, but she still raised me up and it'd be a nice sort of memory to them,' he said. Along with a moniker for the standalone mountain, Everett is proposing several significant features be named, including 'the gap' section right before the summit, the creek and several notable rock features along the route. He notes in his proposal that naming these landmarks could also help make any future rescue efforts in the area more efficient. 'It's a good mountain. It's got it all. You've got the pass to get up and then you go in for a bit of bush whacking through the forest, then you've got the river, then the scree slope and then the climb at the end, so it kind of got like these five epic stages. They're all different, but all very cool in their own right,' he said. 'That's the crazy thing is there's thousands of people seeing this mountain every day. It's right off the Icefields Parkway. It's right next to Nigel's Peak … you can see Nigel and Athabasca from it … so there must have been thousands of people seeing it, but just no one getting there, which just kind of blows my mind a bit,' he added. Requesting a geographical feature be named – or the existing one be changed – begins with the submission of a proposal to the Alberta Geographic Naming Program. When this is done for a feature within a national park, the process becomes even more extensive, requiring decisions from the Alberta government, Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) and Parks Canada. Through extensive research, consultation of Indigenous communities and the local population, and verification that the name complies with the Principles of Geographical Names, a decision can take more than one or two years. Often, priority is given to names already commonly used within a community, but a general rule is that no commemorative names will be approved for people still living – a minimum of five years has to elapse from their date of death, according to the Alberta government's Geographical Names Manual . Everett acknowledged that while his name suggestion doesn't comply with some of the naming principles, he will still go ahead and submit the proposal, hoping that, at the least, it will spark a process of giving the mountain an official name – even if it's not after his parents. 'I [will] submit the application anyway and if they say no, you know, even if they give it any name, I'd be quite happy with that to be honest.' 'I was thinking I'll probably get a sheet of paper and get all my chums here to sign it, saying that we use the name here and that'll hopefully add more weight to it, so I might submit it in maybe a week or two,' added Everett. Everett said that, with some exposure, he thinks the peak has the potential to attract many more mountaineers and hikers given its location, surrounding views and interesting final climb. 'It's an awesome view and it's pretty accessible as well, so I think even if people don't get to the summit, if they're more hikers, and they go to the other side of the gap, I still think they'd have an amazing day out,' said Everett. 'There's probably plenty of people trudging up Nigel who haven't even thought to do, hopefully, Mount Dave Lorraine in the future.' The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada. The position covers Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation and Kananaskis Country. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Washington Post
Europe's entry fee for visitors is going up — before it even starts
BERLIN — The great summer tourist invasion of Europe is in full swing, prompting the usual jokes around dinner tables — from Parisian cafes to Roman trattorias — about the unmistakable volume that only a group of Americans can inflict on the Old World's quaintest, most sought after locations. But travel to the sun and spritz will soon come with a surcharge. And before the fee is even off the runway, Europe's new travel authorization system is getting a price bump.
