Nearly 100 flights have been delayed and seven cancelled at Gatwick Airport after technical problems at the national air traffic control centre.

A fault at the National Air Traffic Services (Nats) have caused hold-ups at airports across the country today.

Gatwick said it has spare capacity and so has not been as badly affected as some other airports.

It confirmed 86 flights had been delayed but all morning flights had been cleared. 

An airport spokesman said: "With spare capacity at the airport today, it has allowed for flexibility and resilience within the schedule.

"Coupled with that, we are working closely with our airline partners to ensure that disruption to passengers is kept to a minimum and extra staff is on hand to provide information and assistance."

The problem at Nats has been identified and is expected to be sorted within the next couple of hours.

Passengers should check the status of their flight with their airlines and check for live updates at @Gatwick_Airport on Twitter.