British travellers to Hong Kong are being advised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to monitor local media and transport company websites for information about route changes or station closures.
They are also being told to avoid public demonstrations following a weekend of protests which sparked the use of tear gas by police.
“The demonstrations have now spread to Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island and to Mong Kok in Kowloon,” the FCO said in an updated trave advisory. “This has led to disruption to traffic and public transport services.”
The advice was issued by Cathay Pacific after tens of thousands of people blockaded the centre of the city.
Several leading banks operating in Asia’s financial hub reportedly urged staff to stay at home today.
“Public transport services to and from the airport are likely to be affected by activities in central Hong Kong,” Cathay Pacific said.
“Please check the availability of transport services and allow ample travel time to and from the airport.”
Police baton-charged protesters yesterday and fired tear gas in the most severe crackdown in Hong Kong under Chinese rule. About 3,000 people blocked a major road in Kowloon.
Student groups and the broader Occupy Central movement want free elections when the territory’s new chief executive is chosen in 2017, The Times reported.
China said last month that candidates would be chosen by a Beijing-appointed committee and screened for their “patriotism”.
Hong Kong’s chief executive Leung Chun-ying made an appeal for calm, saying: “We don’t want Hong Kong to be messy.”
In a television appeal, he said: “I hope the public will keep calm. Don’t be misled by the rumours. Police will strive to maintain social order, including ensuring smooth traffic and ensuring the public safety.”