Homes under Heathrow runway threat

More than 10,000 homes may have to be demolished around Heathrow if a third runway is built because of the huge increase in air pollution.

The Government announced last week that it was considering expanding the airport to meet a tripling in demand for air travel. But it said that only 260 homes would have to be pulled down to make way for the new runway.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced the move in the Commons and warned MPs: "Doing nothing is not an option."

However, buried in more than 1,000 pages of regional consultation documents, a section says that homes may need to be pulled down if people are exposed to air pollution above EU limits.

It reads: "By 2015 some 35,000 people could be exposed to an exceedence of the annual average EU limit for nitrogen dioxide if a third runway was built."

John Stewart, chairman of pressure group Clearskies, which opposes the expansion of Heathrow, said: " Ministers must come clean and state which homes could have to be demolished. [Former spin doctor] Jo Moore would be proud of the way the Government has buried this information."

The document warns that the areas facing the greatest exposure to nitrogen oxide, which can cause lung and breathing problems are Sipson, Harlington, Hayes, West Drayton and Harmondsworth.

It says meeting the EU pollution levels would be a challenge even without a third runway and said that manufacturers and airlines would need to give "convincing reassurance" that they could deal with the pollution.

John McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington, told The Times: "Nobody believes that only 260 homes will go. If a new runway is built many more homes will become unliveable because of the pollution."

Heathrow is already the world's busiest airport and building a third airport would allow an extra 500 flights a day over London.

Aircraft engines and the machinery and vehicles associated with the airport are major sources of nitrogen oxide.

A spokesman for the Department of Transport said: "In answer to the question whether the Government would be prepared to see the purchase and demolition of the houses of 35,000 people, or how many houses we would accept being demolished, we have made clear that we want to minimise the adverse impacts of growth in aviation.

"Minimising the impact on people's homes is an important part of this objective."