FREEZING rain brought flights at one of Scotland’s busiest airports to a standstill as the big chill gripping the UK showed no sign of easing.

Rain falling in below-zero temperatures froze runways at Glasgow Airport and forced the flights to be delayed or diverted to Prestwick in Ayrshire or Edinburgh while workers battled to resolve the situation.

Airport staff worked for more than 45 minutes to de-ice the runways before flights were given the go-ahead.

Some flights which were due to arrive were sent to Glasgow Prestwick and Edinburgh Airport.

Passengers on the diverted flights were taken back to Glasgow by bus.

A spokesman urged passengers to check their airline for updates due to “adverse weather conditions are temporarily disrupting operations”. Please check with your airline for updates.”

The airport was declared fully operational by last night.

The flash freeze came as drivers and other travellers faced difficult journeys amid icy conditions across much of the UK.

The Met Office issued yellow weather warning for ice until 11am today, with the worst affected areas likely to be Scotland and the north of England.

It said the chance of ice was highest where rain might fall on to frozen surfaces, while there was also a strong chance of snow on high ground The warning covers Wales, parts of Scotland and much of England – where hundreds of schools were closed for a second day yesterday.

Temperatures in central and southern England remained only a few degrees above freezing throughout yesterday.

Heathrow Airport in west London said the “majority” of departures and arrivals would run as scheduled but advised passengers to check before travelling because of bad weather in Europe.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said the service had rescued more than 140 people from snow and ice by lunchtime.

He urged drivers to slow down and leave more space between vehicles, and warned that opportunist thieves were stealing cars which had been left defrosting on driveways and by the roadside.

“Give yourself extra time and don’t leave the car running unattended to warm up,” he advised.