Brits warned about travelling to popular holiday destination as ‘state of emergency’ declared

Travel plans to one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations may be disrupted after a 'state of emergency' was declared due to the impact of Storm Therese.

Those hoping to travel to the Canary Islands and see if they can get a bit of a spring holiday before the Easter rush could see their plans thrown into disarray as powerful weather batters the islands.

Heavy rainfall on Tenerife has resulted in a state of emergency being declared, while Mount Teide has been closed due to snowfall and there have also been road closures in the area.

A risk of strong winds, heavy rain and flash flooding due to Storm Therese runs the risk of delaying or calling off travel plans, as The Independent reports that flights are still operating but a number of journeys have been delayed.

They also warn that if weather conditions intensify it could result in outright cancellations as Spain's weather agency issued yellow and orange warnings over the Canary Islands.

Tenerife is usually a popular holiday destination, but it has declared a state of emergency (Carlo Alberto Conti/Getty Images)

People living on the islands have been told to take 'maximum caution and responsibility' and to 'avoid unnecessary travel'.

For Brits considering travelling there the Foreign Office have not updated their travel warnings and are not advising against non-essential travel so you could go if you wanted but be warned of the potential disruptions and the fact you'd be heading somewhere that's declared a state of emergency over the weather.

There's been a significant spike in interest for Brits travelling to the Canary Islands following the outbreak of war in the Middle East, with a number of Easter holiday plans adjusted to avoid getting caught by the war.

British Airways said their package holidays to the Canary Islands have seen a major jump, with a 50 percent boost for Gran Canaria and a 38 percent increase for Tenerife.

Other travel agencies such as Thomas Cook have also seen an increase in bookings for the area as Brits look elsewhere for their spring holiday plans.

Storm Therese is bringing heavy rain, high winds, strong waves and even some snowfall which is disrupting travel plans (Cabildo de Tenerife)

Spain's weather agency Aemet has warned that heavy rain, wind and waves will hit the tourist hotspot until 'at least' Sunday (22 March).

The BBC reports that amid the damage and disruption of the weather flights have been cancelled and events on the Canary Islands have been called off.

Weather warnings are expected to stay in place over the weekend and temporary shelters have been established in the areas that need them.

While normally these parts of the world would be the place to be, Storm Therese means it might be best to spend the weekend somewhere else if at all possible.