Climate Change Protesters Block Heathrow

The inbound tunnel to Heathrow Airport has been blocked by climate change activists protesting at proposals to expand the West London airport.

Five people were arrested as members of campaign group Plane Stupid locked themselves into a vehicle they parked across the lanes of the main road into the airport.

A banner on display read: "No ifs, no buts: no third runway."

Plane Stupid spokesman Cameron Kaye said: "Airport expansion would wreck the legally-binding Climate Change Act, risking wiping out 55% of species this century and displacing 75 million more people from their homes by 2035.

"If aviation growth isn't reduced, by 2037 aviation alone could emit all of the carbon it's safe for the UK to emit. The Government needs to choose: build new runways or stop climate chaos: it's that simple."

Continuing protests follow a decision by the Airport Commission to recommend a third runway for Heathrow, rather than extending an existing runway or building a second one at Gatwick.

Campaigners and local residents' opposition is supported by a number of politicians including London Mayor Boris Johnson who is also MP for Uxbridge.

Mr Johnson told Sky News at the time of the recommendation: "The trouble with this scheme is it is just not deliverable.

"You'd have to place all sorts of restrictions on the third runway - you'd have to have no night flights at all - none of which the airport is willing to accept. I don't think it's going to happen."

Meanwhile, passengers trying to get to Heathrow by tube faced fresh disruption after a faulty train on the Piccadilly Line at King's Cross caused long delays.

The RMT union said it was the sixth day in a row there were problems on the line and blamed the problems on "a lack of investment and corner-cutting".