UK no-fly zone extended

Britain's air travel nightmare has worsened as the Civil Aviation Authority extended its no-fly zone south to include airports in Birmingham and Norwich.

London's main airports remained open on Sunday night but an ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano mean restrictions are now in place over the Midlands, northern England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The restrictions will remain in place until at least 1am on Monday, air traffic authority Nats said.

The Department of Transport has warned about possible flight disruption elsewhere across the UK, lasting perhaps until Tuesday morning, if the ash from the erupting Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull is blown above Britain.

It is bad news for passengers hoping the skies were getting back to normal a month after ash from the eruption first cancelled a swathe of flights across Europe.

The cloud is expected to lie over the London area by Tuesday, but is likely to have drifted out of UK airspace by Wednesday, according to forecasters.