BRITAIN has been hit by thunderstorms and treacherous weather today as 10-mile ferry queues build for a summer holiday getaway.
Floods, torrential rain and rail strikes also threaten to disrupt Brits attempts to get off on trips away, as wet weather replaces the record-breaking temperatures seen in the week.
A yellow weather warning was issued by the Met Office predicting 40-60mm across much of the country, as long lines of lorries and holidaymakers queued for miles at Dover today.
The Port of Dover tweeted: "We are experiencing extremely high volumes of traffic due to the summer holiday getaway.
"Please allow extra time for your journey. We apologise for the delays."
Some parts could even see as much as 100mm falling in heavy downpours as the mercury plummeted from the record-breaking heights of 38C.
Temperatures are expected to stay lower than average over the rest of the weekend until Monday, where some sunny spells will appear once more.
East Midlands Trains (EMT) customers have been warned to expect a significantly reduced service to and from London due to repair work on damaged overhead line equipment.
And rail passengers will see a revised timetable on several local routes because of RMT industrial action.
After a week in which Britain has been hit by hot temperatures and thunderstorms, heavy rainfall could now bring flooding and travel disruption.
The Met Office issued a weather warning for rain which covers vast swathes of Scotland and England, with the exception of the South West region, until Sunday afternoon.
Delays or cancellations to train and bus services are possible.
It comes after air passengers suffered major disruption on Friday due to the heatwave and a technical problem with the UK's air traffic control system.
Passengers using Heathrow and Gatwick airports had to contend with delays due to the extreme conditions across Europe.
The air traffic control company Nats said a technical problem with a system at the Swanwick Air Traffic Control centre had been identified shortly after noon, which restricted the rate of arrivals.
A Heathrow spokesman said the technical issue has now been resolved, adding: "We apologise to passengers for any disruption that this caused."
On Saturday morning, Gatwick Airport said: "We aim to run a normal schedule today, however due to ongoing adverse weather across Europe, passengers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest information."
More than 60 flights were cancelled out of Heathrow on Friday and dozens more delayed after a malfunction hit Swanwick Air Traffic Control Centre.
Travellers on Twitter yesterday fumed over the disruption hundreds slamming the chaos.
Caitlin MacNamara tweeted: "Isn’t it great when u’ve been stressing about Heathrow strikes all week, they call it off, and then ur flight gets cancelled anyway due to the weather? Cheers BA."
Meanwhile, Eurostar trains were suspended after a power cable "exploded" on a platform at Paris Gare du Nord, according to a manager.
HEATHROW HELL
Eurostar later said there was no cable explosion at the station, but a power issue was causing massive delays.
And Britain's rail network was also sent into meltdown as this week's travel misery continues.
Heathrow was the worst hit airport yesterday, with British Airways cancelling at least 30 flights as raging passengers blasting "disgraceful scenes" and seven-hour queues.
A Balkan brass band entertained one group of passengers stuck on a plane for three and a half hours.
Heathrow and Gatwick apologised to travellers for the chaos, and advised them to check with their airlines before flying.
One Heathrow flier told BBC Radio’s Five Live: “Thousands of passengers in Terminal Five waiting to rebook our flights, which were all cancelled last night.
“There is just no room for everybody. There are no seats. People are just all over the floor. It’s not a pleasant experience.”
Five flights departing Luton were cancelled, but three were due to strikes in Italy, a spokesman said.
The complete system meltdown, which has been blamed on electrical storms in Britain and Europe, came after London was brought to a standstill by rail cancellations.
On Friday, only two rail services out of four were running out of London's busy St Pancras Station.
Greater Anglia trains told rail travellers to expect cancellations from London's Liverpool Street on Friday due to high temperatures affecting rail infrastructure.
The overnight train disruption continued into Friday, with more delays and cancellation causing rush-hour hell and trains in the wrong places overnight.
Speed limits on most commuter lines were cut from 60mph to 30mph on what became the hottest July day on record.
The old record of 38.5C was set in Faversham, Kent, back in August 2003.
The previous hottest July day was recorded in July 2015 with a temperature of 36.7C, however, the weather on Friday has topped that by nearly two degrees.
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