[Smithy]

Travel misery for thousands of airline passengers will continue for the rest of the day, as the ash cloud spreads across Scotland and northern England.

Thousands of passengers have had their flights cancelled due to the volcanic ash cloud and the disruption is expected to continue into early tomorrow morning.

Most flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh International airports, as well as Dundee, have been cancelled, with severe disruptions at other Scottish airports.

In England, Newcastle International has been worst-hit.

A row also broke out between Irish airline Ryanair and the Civil Aviation Authority, after the airline's boss claimed there was "no volcanic ash" in Scottish airspace, and vowed to continue operating.

They sent a test flight into the "high ash concentration zone" and travelled from Glasgow Prestwick to Inverness, on to Aberdeen and down to Edinburgh.

An inspection of the aircraft afterwards found "no evidence of volcanic ash on the airframe, wings or engines", the company said.

"It's perfectly safe. There is nothing up there," he said.

It's spreading south