Heathrow expansion expected to be approved in November

Ministers are expected to approve a controversial third runway at Heathrow Airport before Christmas, despite an ongoing public consultation.

Transport sources have told the Times that the government is determined to make the third runway happen and plan to announce its approval in November.

According to the newspaper, transport secretary Ruth Kelly is for the expansion and is likely to announce a decision in its favour before the end of the year.

This is despite an ongoing public consultation on the controversial proposal, which has been strongly opposed by environmental groups.

The news comes just a day after London mayor Boris Johnson announced he had commissioned a feasibility study into the possibility of an island airport on the Thames.

The proposal, which Conservative leader David Cameron has expressed interest in, has been labelled "fantasy island" by Kelly sources who said it had serious environmental problems.