Heathrow Airport has refused to allow extra flights from India before the country is added to the UK travel red list on Friday.

It turned down the requests from airlines because of concerns about queues at passport control.

The airport told the BBC that it did not want to exacerbate existing pressures at the border by allowing more passengers to fly in.

From Friday many arrivals from India will be refused entry.

British and Irish passport holders, and people with UK residence rights, will be allowed in, but must quarantine in hotels for 10 days.

Last week, a director at the airport said the situation at the border – which is operated by the Home Office – had become “untenable” because of delays in processing arriving passengers.