A FLIGHT due at Bournemouth Airport this morning was forced to divert after thick fog made it impossible to land.

Holidaymakers returning from Tenerife South Airport in the early hours of today were told the plane had to land at London Gatwick instead due to dangerously poor visibility.

It comes after a severe weather warning for fog was last night issued across Dorset which remains in place until 10am this morning.

The Met Office warned of extensive fog forming across parts of southern England and visibility was expected to be as low as 50 to 100 metres in places.

The Thomson flight number TOM6269 was due to land at Bournemouth Airport at 12.30am but instead touched down at the London airport 30 minutes later.

The airline put on a number of coaches and mini buses to return to Bournemouth with passengers experiencing delays of more than four hours.

The Met Office said the fog is expected to be clear by 10am but some patches may linger for the rest of the morning and travel may be disrupted.