THOUSANDS of Britons are suffering disruption to their holidays and business trips today due to a strike by Iberia ground staff at Barcelona's main El Prat airport.

Oil was spread on the runway and set alight by the strikers this afternoon as the dispute escalated. All flights in and out of the aiport had already been cancelled since 9am until 5pm (4pm BST) although the knock-on effects are expected to last the rest of the day.

An estimated 10,000 Britons fly into and out of Barcelona every day on 70 flights from UK airports. Ryanair flies into Girona, 40 miles from Barcelona.

A spokesman for Iberia at its headquarters in Madrid described it as a "chaotic situation" and said he had no idea when the problem would be fully resolved.

The strike was sparked by the decision by Spanish airports authority AENA not to renew Iberia’s baggage handling contract.

Workers blocked one of the airport’s three runways this morning to protest at possible job losses.Flights have been been diverted to other airports including Girona, Valencia and Toulouse in France.

British Airways has cancelled three services from Heathrow, Gatwick and Birmingham and is diverting other flights into the French airport of Perpignan, then bussing passengers two hours to Barcelona.

"We're doing as much as we can under very difficult circumstances" said a BA spokeswoman, adding that affected passengers can rebook or receive a full refund.

Iberia operates four flights a day to the Catalan capital from Heathrow and is also offering refunds, free date changes and re routing, although, at the start of the busy holiday period, many planes to other destinations are already full. "Whatever we can do, we will do" an Iberia spokesman commented.

Easyjet, which carries 1.2 million people a year to Barcelona, has cancelled all of its 13 flights from Bristol, Liverpool, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Newcastle scheduled to leave for the city today. It is offering to pay hotel expenses tonight for passengers stranded in Spain and trying to return from Barcelona.

BA (0870 8509850, www.ba.com): Iberia (0870 6090500, www.iberiaairlines.co.uk): Easyjet (0871 2442366, www.easyjet.com)

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