AS PEOPLE start 2009 by making promises they will probably fail to keep a campaign group has released footage showing airport operator BAA doing the same.

A decision by the Government whether to support a third runway at Heathrow Airport is due to be made before the end of the month.

HACAN Clearskies, which has opposed the plan, has responded by gathering together videos of various BAA heads from the last decade insisting a new runway was not wanted.

The video footage shows Sir John Egan, at the time the BAA chief executive, making firm promises that BAA did not want a third runway or a 14 lane M25 and supported the retention of runway alternation.

Mr Egan also wrote to residents to say BAA ruled out a third runway in 1995.

According to HACAN just before Christmas last year the current Director of Strategy at BAA, Mike Forster, admitted to the Heathrow Consultative Committee that Mr Egan had lied in order to get Terminal 5 approved.

When asked about Sir John Egan's promise that BAA did not want a third runway, Mr Foster said: "Well, that's what he had to say to get permission for Terminal Five."

On November 27 last year BAA said if it got permission to expand, it would ask the Government to appoint an independent watchdog to monitor noise and pollution.

Colin Matthews, the BAA chief executive, said: "By calling on an independent assessor to scrutinise the airport's performance against these limits, we are providing an uncompromising assurance that we will operate Heathrow airport within the limits laid down by government."

John Stewart, the chairman of HACAN, said: "No number of uncompromising assurances in the world will persuade us to believe anything BAA promises. They have got form. And that form suggests they are incapable of keeping a New Year's Resolution. We've got the pictures to prove it!"