Iceland volcanic ash disrupts flights for the second time

Bremen airport was closing at 0300 GMT and Hamburg at 0400 GMT, Germany's weather service said.

The airspace over Berlin and Hanover could also be affected.

Air traffic in Norway and Denmark has been disrupted but flights were expected to resume across the UK after some airspace in the north was closed.

However air traffic is returning to normal in other parts of northern Europe, a day after about 500 flights were cancelled across the region.

On Tuesday, dozens of planes were grounded at UK airports including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Barra, Prestwick, Cumbernauld, Londonderry, Tiree, Carlisle and Durham Tees Valley.

Airports say they are hoping to resume normal services but have warned of possible delays and passengers are advised to check with their airline before travelling.

Tuesday's cancellations came just over a year after another volcanic eruption in Iceland caused widespread disruption across Europe, including the closure of UK airspace, amid concerns about the damage volcanic ash could cause to engine aircraft.

The Grimsvotn volcano in Vatnajokull National Park began erupting on Saturday and closed Iceland's airspace for a period.

Experts say the eruption is on a different scale to the one last year and is producing larger ash particles, which fall to the ground more quickly.

Icelandic government adviser Professor Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson said the eruption from the volcano was slowing down "day by day" and he believed the worst was over.