Holidaymakers grounded at Leeds Bradford airport due to air traffic 'technical issues'

Flights from Leeds Bradford have been delayed after National Air Traffic Control said it was experiencing "a technical issue".

UK flight traffic has been restricted while the issue is resolved.

Flights due to leave Leeds Bradford Airport early this morning are still grounded and are currently scheduled to fly out this afternoon.

In a statement the airport said: "Could all customers please be advised due to an outage with the National Air Traffic system delays are expected to all flights. Further updates to follow."

East Midlands Airport say passengers should check the status of their flights with their airlines and to arrive at the airport at the advised time.

Passengers already on board planes headed for the UK have taken to social media to report that they've been told a problem with air traffic control is keeping them grounded.

NATs, the UK's leading provider of air traffic control services, said in a statement to ITV News: "We are currently experiencing a technical issue and have applied traffic flow restrictions to maintain safety. Engineers are working to find and the fix the fault."

"We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause."

Those waiting to depart at airports have been told to keep checking the flight information at the terminal, while people already on planes will be updated by crew.

Leeds based airline Jet2 said: "UK Air Traffic Control are reporting a significant failure of their systems resulting in significant delays to all flights departing and returning to the UK. Further update to follow as soon as we have more information."

A statement from easyJet to passengers said they have been "advised of an Air traffic control issue currently affecting all flights due to fly into or out of United Kingdom airspace."