CPRE continues battle against airport expansion

The Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) has again questioned whether Britain needs a huge expansion of runways and airports over the next 30 years.

It has unveiled today (Wednesday) a new tool in its campaign against massive, damaging growth in air transport - a leaflet and poster which depicts an aircraft engine sucking in the countryside, with the slogan 'Expanding aviation destroys the countryside.

Thousands of leaflets are being distributed to enable people to express their concern over government options for bigger or new airports and runways before the close of consultation on 30 June.

Andrew Critchell, CPRE's aviation campaigner, said: "There are significant question marks about whether this is feasible, or desirable. It certainly isn't environmentally sustainable."

The poster is part of CPRE's ongoing campaign which is calling for an environmentally sustainable air transport policy that recognises the significant damage that air transport inflicts through air and noise pollution, surface transport congestion, development pressure and climate change.