Beyond Heathrow

SIR – Henry Brewis (Letters, June 23) makes a valid point about aircraft wasting fuel and producing carbon dioxide by stacking over London. He is wrong, however, to argue that the answer is to build a third runway at Heathrow as soon as possible.

A third runway would be madness for the following reasons, among many others.

1. It would destroy a lovely village.

2. The cost of tunnelling and rerouting motorways would be prohibitive.

3. The location of the new runway so close to the M4 and the existing northern runway could confuse pilots trying to land their aircraft.

4. The dangers inherent in aircraft flying over central London would increase.

5. The creation of monster car parks would increase carbon dioxide pollution and traffic.

6. Transport links in this area west of London are already in crisis – congestion and delays being a daily occurrence.

7. Noise pollution would increase, even with quieter jet engines.

8. The disruption to everyday life would be a nightmare for thousands of people for years to come.

If we are going to spend an enormous amount of money improving aviation links for London, then it would be far better to construct a brand new airport, with as many runways as is necessary, in the Thames Estuary, as was once proposed in the Sixties at Foulness, as well as by Boris Johnson. This could have transport links to London and beyond along the line of the Thames – provided that care was taken to conserve any wildlife, flora and fauna that could be affected. Joe Hayward

Stanmore, Middlesex