Flash mob at DfT

2:44pm Friday 4th July 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

CAMPAIGNERS against the expansion of Heathrow Airport took a personal message to Ruth Kelly yesterday.

They went in search for the Transport Secretary to say no' to the plans for a third runway and sixth terminal at the airport.

Around 100 campaigners gathered at the Department for Transport building in central London.

They pelted huge paper planes with messages to Ms Kelly on them, and flashed the red T-shirts reading no to airport expansion'.

Earlier on in the day, a group six women from the action group Plane Stupid used a loudspeaker to blare aircraft noise through a letter-box of Ms Kelly's Dockland's apartment.

John Stewart, chairman of pressure group HACAN, said: "Since Ruth Kelly refuses to meet us, we decided to take our message to her.

"Each of the people at the flash mob fired a paper plane in the direction of the DfT with a message for Ms Kelly."

The campaigners were joined in their quest to send a message to Ms Kelly by Green London Assembly member Jenny Jones and Liberal Democrat Vincent Cable.

The home-made paper planes were penned with the words no airport expansion' and stop airport expansion'.

This is the second time campaigners have gathered for a flash mob. The first one was on the official opening day of Heathrow's Terminal 5.

People wearing the red T-shirts stood outside the international arrivals area and flashed their say no to expansion' T-shirts.

The Government is expected to make a decision on Heathrow expansion before Parliament breaks for the summer or when it resumes in the autumn.

If the decision is to give expansion the go-ahead, BAA the airport's operator will have to go through a long planning process to work through the details.

Campaigners have said they will continue to fight for as long as they can.

What are your views on the expansion of the airport? If you object, how long have you been campaigning for? Tell us by leaving your comments below.