Map shows which roads are closed around Heathrow Airport after fire

London’s Heathrow Airport will be closed today after a fire broke out nearby – and it’s not just flight passengers impacted.

The blaze at an electrical substation in west London yesterday evening knocked out power to the airport and some 16,000 homes earlier today.

This all but ground to a halt flights to and from one of the world’s busiest airports, creating travel chaos across the world.

 Follow our live blog for the latest updates on the Heathrow Airport closure

Heathrow’s closure today will impact at least 1,351 flights in and out of the airport, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24.

But the travel disruption isn’t just in the air. Several key roads in the Heathrow area have been closed.

The spur which leads straight into the travel hub from the main M4 carriageway junction 4 (Heathrow/Uxbridge) has been closed since 6am.

Drivers are urged to use other routes, with traffic jams on Sipson Road stretching back to Holloway Lane.

National Highways says normal traffic conditions on the M4 SPUR between junctions 4 and junction 4A are expected to resume between 10am and 11am.

A437 North Hyde Road, where the North Hyde substation around two miles north of Heathrow is, has also been closed.

This impacts Station Road and A312 Parkway (Bulls Bridge Roundabout), which has also been closed in both directions between M4 junction 3 (Hayes/Heston) and A4020 Uxbridge Road (Ossie Garvin Roundabout).

Traffic monitoring websites are reporting congestion to the Asda back into Hayes and back along the Parkway from the M4.

Bus routes including the 195 and E6 are being diverted.

The M25 Terminal 5 Access Road has also been shut in both directions at junction 14 A3113 Airport Way (Heathrow).

Further disruption today will hit the M4 junction 4, Heathrow Interchange (Terminals 2 and 3) as engineers are upgrading nearby traffic signals.

The M4 junction 4 eastbound entry and exit slip roads will be closed from 10pm to 6am, National Highways says.

Drivers hoping to hit the tarmac of the M25 in Surrey this weekend will face closures for the fifth and final time this weekend.

Work to tear down an old bridge will see the stretch between junction 10, near Wisley, and junction 11, near Woking, shut in both directions

The fire brigade says the cause of the blaze, which was brought under control at 6.30am, is unclear. Around 150 people were evacuated.

Airport officials say Heathrow will be closed until at least 11.59pm, impacting up to 290,000 people, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics company.

Some of the 120 flights already on their way to the hub are still air-borne, as planes scout for airports to land in.

But the flight disruptions could last for days, officials say. Analysts add it might take days for airlines to rebook passengers, with Heathrow often used as a stepping stone to other key destinations.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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