Departures from London Stansted Airport have been suspended following a fire in the Escape Lounge early this morning. The incident occurred around 3.30am and, although the fire was extinguished quickly, it generated a significant amount of smoke.

As a precaution, passengers were evacuated from the terminal, and access to security was halted for approximately three hours. Security operations resumed at 6am, but the airport has warned that delays may occur due to the high volume of passengers in the area.

A spokesperson for London Stansted stated, "Health and safety will always be our number one priority and we thank passengers for their understanding." Departures are expected to remain suspended until later this morning, and travellers are advised to check with their airlines for updates on their flights.

In addition to the fire, a signalling fault has caused disruptions to train services to and from the airport, leading to potential cancellations and delays. The airport is working closely with emergency services to ensure the terminal is safe for full operations to resume.