Extra police are to be drafted into Heathrow after passengers who had been held in long queues tried to push past immigration officers without having their passports checked.

Immigration officers also claimed they had been subjected to verbal and racist abuse from passengers and slow hand-clapping by those frustrated at the delays.

The Immigration Services Union told the Daily Telegraph its members were seeing public disorder issues in queues at the airport, which have been up to half-a-mile long in recent days.

Spokeswoman Lucy Moreton said extra police would be more visible around the arrivals hall and they would move quickly to areas where staff feared trouble might break out.

However, Heathrow said it was unable to comment on where, when and how many extra police would be deployed as it was a matter for the Metropolitan Police. TravelMole has asked the Met Police Office for further information.

Meanwhile Heathrow is still advising passengers to avoid travelling to the airport by car as the M4 remains closed between junctions two and three, causing long traffic jams on the main routes into and out of the airport.

The motorway, which has been closed due to a crack in the road, is expected to reopen tomorrow.

With Permisssion from Travelmole