Meanwhile, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has pledged to lay on extra flights at Stansted airport to "save" half-term school holidays after Heathrow extended its flight cap.

Elsewhere, bathers have been advised not to go into the sea around Britain after raw sewage was discharged into coastal waters, while the Met Office is still warning of flash floods due to heavy rain and thunderstorms across the UK.

Here are the key travel stories making national news headlines headlines on Wednesday 17 August.

UK inflation hits 10.1% as cost of living soars

Prices are continuing to rise at their fastest rate for more than 40 years, with UK inflation passing double digits for the first time since 1982. Inflation hit 10.1% in the 12 months to July, up from 9.4% in June, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The Bank of England has said inflation - the rate at which prices rise - could peak at more than 13%. The figure was higher than economists expected, with rising food prices making the biggest contribution. Energy, petrol and diesel costs are also contributing. Soaring living costs are eating into household budgets, with prices rising faster than wages. (BBC News)

Ryanair to the rescue

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has promised to save half-term holidays for thousands of families by ramping up flights at Stansted, taking a furious swipe at ‘hopeless Heathrow’. He insisted the Essex airport had more than sufficient staff to handle 500 extra flights that week – despite the industry’s summer of chaos caused by a shortage of baggage handlers. (The Metro)

Saddle cyclists with speed limits too, says Grant Shapps

Cyclists should be fined for breaking speed limits in residential areas because they are putting people at risk, the transport secretary has said. Grant Shapps said that he wanted to update the Highway Code to make it clear that cyclists should be subject to the same speed limits as cars. He told The Times: “There is definitely a hard core of cyclists who seem to think the laws of the road don’t apply to them. I do think the Highway Code should be updated to recognise speed limits for cyclists. (The Times)

Beachgoers told to stay out of water as sewage is pumped into seas and rivers

Pollution risk warnings have been issued across Britain’s coast as sewage has been pumped into the country’s waterways. According to data gathered by environmental campaign group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), there has been storm sewage discharge into the waters at beaches in Sussex, Cornwall, Devon, Essex, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland and Cumbria. The Environment Agency has issued pollution alerts across the country, warning that the heavy rainfall and flooding seen over the last 48 hours has affected water quality. (The Telegraph)

UK hospitality industry loses nearly 200,000 overseas workers

UK hospitality businesses have lost nearly 200,000 international workers since the end of 2019, according to an industry survey, as the effects of Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic squeeze the jobs market. The pool of labour from the EU has shrunk at the fastest rate, according to data collected by recruiter Caterer.com. At the latest count, there were around 172,000 EU citizens working in the hospitality sector, down around 41 per cent compared to a pre-pandemic total of nearly 293,000. (Financial Times)

Britons warned to prepare for evacuation as floods pose ‘danger to life’

People who live in low-lying properties should make sure their valuable items are prepared for evacuation, the Met Office has warned due to the current high flood risk. Large parts of Britain are at risk of flash flooding today as thunderstorms overwhelm the country’s parched landscape with heavy rain. (The Independent)