SCENES identical to the protest which closed Stanstead Airport this morning (Monday) will be repeated in Hillingdon if permission for expansion is granted.

This is the warning by the chairman of HACAN, one of the main groups campaigning against a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

John Stewart has warned the Government and BAA the occupation of the runway in Essex, which began at 3.15am when 50 Plane Stupid members invaded a secure area, is a wake-up call.

He said: "The occupation of Stansted is a clear sign of things to come if the Government doesn't back down over its proposals to expand airports. There is a great deal of anger at the impact these plans will have on the global climate and on local people's quality of life."

The Government recently gave the go-ahead for a big increase in the number of flights allowed to use the existing runway at Stansted. And in April a Public Inquiry will start into BAA's plans for a second runway at the airport.

n January the Government has said it will decide whether to give the green light for a third runway at Heathrow and permission for more planes to land on the existing runways by getting rid of runway alternation.

Plane Stupid said today that it chose to close Stansted after the government approved the expansion of capacity at the airport by 10 million passengers a year.

Two weeks ago dozens of West London residents, including Hillingdon residents, attended direct action training sessions.

And on Saturday, a major rally in London organised by the Campaign against Climate Change, direct action to stop airport expansion won the support of the Caroline Lucas MEP, the leader of the Green Party, and of John McDonnell, the Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, whose constituency would see at least 700 homes demolished if a third runway at Heathrow was built.