ANTI-HS2 campaigners from Hillingdon borough were among those who handed in a national petition against the high speed railway to 10 Downing Street on Tuesday (October 11).

The petition contained 108,000 online and paper signatures - including around 5,000 from Hillingdon alone.

MPs from Warwickshire and Northamptonshire also attended, but no MPs from Hillingdon were present.

Keri Brennan, chair of Hillingdon Against HS2, said: “We feel we’ve made our voice heard.”

Fellow campaigner Lottie Jones, chair of Ruislip Against HS2, said: “Our area is the biggest to be affected and we believe we collected the most signatures from one single area.

“We’ve definitely made a difference and we have to believe we can keep on fighting to make a difference. We have to believe we live in a democracy.”

After handing in the petition, Mrs Brennan and Mrs Jones bumped into Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner Conservative MP Nick Hurd outside Downing Street.

Asked why had had not accompanied them to hand in the petition, Mr Hurd said: “I did not know about this, which I should have done.”

Mr Hurd said he would be attending the HS2 parliamentary debate on Thursday, before which anti-HS2 campaigners are holding a protest demonstration.

John Randall, Conservative MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, has promised to meet with campaigners on Thursday.

Neither MP will be able to speak at the debate, scheduled by the Backbench Business Committee, as they are in the Government.

Accompanying the campaigners were MPs Dan Byles, Andrea Leadsom and Chris White.

Mr Byles, MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, a constituency heavily affected by the HS2 plans, said: “All British MPs should be interested in this because £32bn going into it. This is money that is not available for other transport infrastructure projects.”

All three major political parties have pledged their support for the high speed rail link, both in their manifestos and at the recent party conferences.

“This is not a party political issue,” added Mr Byles, “It’s almost more of a north-south issue on this, because a lot of MPs from the North and North West are very in favour of it as they believe it will bring regeneration to the North and North West - but I disagree with them.”

Labour MPs Geoffrey Robinson and Jim Cunningham sent messages of support for the petition, as did Green Party leader Caroline Lucas.

Mrs Brennan and Mrs Jones said they had sent out 1,500 emails and knocked on 300 doors in Hillingdon. They are hoping for a positive turnout from borough people on Thursday.

“Residents really need to be much more aware,” said Mrs Jones.

The day-long demonstration starts at 10.30am in Old Palace Yard opposite the Commons.