Eleven British Para-table tennis squad members to miss Montenegro Para Championships

Rio 2016 gold medallist Will Bayley was due to compete at the Montenegro Para Championships

Eleven members of the British Para-table tennis squad have been forced to pull out of the Montenegro Para Championships after their flight was cancelled.

The athletes and four coaches were due to travel from Gatwick Airport to Podgorica on Tuesday.

But they were informed by email four hours before they were due to take off that the flight had been cancelled.

Five squad members who flew from Manchester will compete.

Flight cancellations are continuing at British airports as the travel industry struggles with staff shortages.

More than 150 UK flights were cancelled on Wednesday and some passengers who could travel had to wait in long queues.

"The only alternative flight we were offered was the next day to Belgrade," said British Para-table tennis performance director Gorazd Vecko.

"But we would not have been able to fly from there to Podgorica so we had to make the decision not to go. It is very frustrating but totally out of our control."