"Government burying it's head in the sand over Heathrow" - Pope

10.15.00am GMT Thu 22nd Nov 2007

As the Government today published a consultation document revealing it's wish to see a third runway - and possibly a sixth terminal - built at Heathrow, Geoff Pope Liberal Democrat transport spokesperson on the London Assembly said:

"The Government is burying its head in the sands and persisting with its catastrophic proposals to expand Heathrow which will only escalate the damage to London's environment that increasing air travel already causes.

I have called on BAA to attend the London Assembly Transport Committee so that these expansion plans can be properly scrutinised by elected representatives. The Government is clearly biased when it comes to this issue, so it falls to London's democratically elected representatives to try and halt this madness.

We need to invest in high speed rail as an alternative to high carbon emitting air travel and cut down on flights to the continent that could be reached by rail. Expansion at Heathrow runs against all the evidence that exists showing the huge impact that aviation has on climate change. The Government, and BAA, must be stopped from agreeing an environmental disaster."