Plans to redraw the airspace above Hounslow have been given an overwhelming thumbs-down by concerned residents.

More than 80 per cent of people who responded to a public consultation on where planes should fly have objected to the proposals outright.

Residents in the areas surrounding Heathrow raised fears about noise levels, with Hounslow Council claiming 40,000 more residents would be affected by aircraft din.

The plans were drawn up by NATS, the national body responsible for managing air traffic, and were its first fundamental overhaul of south east England's airspace in decades.

Just 13 per cent of the 14,000 respondents supported the proposal in its current form, according to the first data to be published by NATS since the consultation closed in June.

Yesterday Jonathan Astill, head of airspace management for NATS, said: "It may be that there are changes we can make to the design, and that could lead to further consultation with local communities."