Pinocchio demo at BAA meeting

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners in Pinocchio-style long noses today protested outside the annual general meeting of airports operator BAA, claiming the company had broken promises.

About a dozen protesters from Friends of the Earth wore the noses outside the QE2 Conference Centre in Westminster.

FoE aviation campaigner Paul de Zylva said: 'They have been economical with the truth. During the Heathrow Terminal 5 public inquiry, BAA repeatedly claimed that it would not lead to a third runway, but now they are backing one.'

There were also some protesters from the group Stop Stansted Expansion.

'We want an end to expansion at all South-East airports,' said Mike Fairchild, 64, of Little Hadham, near Stansted. 'We want introduction of a tax on aviation fuel to dampen demand so no more expansion is necessary.'