Bad weather strands 1,000 tourists in French Alps

Nearly 1,000 tourists, mostly British, were stuck in the French Alps on Saturday night after their flights were cancelled due to bad weather, authorities said.

Heavy fog covered the ski slopes around Chambery on Saturday, leading to the cancellation of seven flights out of the local airport and delays of several others.

Some 535 holiday-makers bedded down for the night at the conference centre in the town of Aix-les-Bains, 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Chambery, while 450 others were bussed to hotels, the region's administrative authority, the Savoie prefecture, told AFP on Sunday.

"The passengers will be able to take off today from Lyon, Grenoble and Geneva airports," the prefecture said, adding that more buses had been chartered to cover the various airports.

Chambery is a popular gateway to the northern French Alps, with airlines operating direct flights from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.