HUNDREDS of people passionately protested against plans to develop a dual carriageway through a graveyard.

The road would be built through the Cherry Lane Cemetery and would provide a route from the Stockley Junction through to Shepiston Lane in West Drayton linking an expanded Heathrow Airport.

The meeting was held last night (Wednesday) at the Barnhill Community Centre in Hayes where residents learnt the development would destroy up to a third of the graveyard which holds capacity for 13,500 graves.

Representatives from various political groups said they would stand shoulder to shoulder to barricade any bulldozer which attempts to destroy their graveyard.

John McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington, spoke forceibly against BAA, describing them as liars for pressing ahead with runway plans after saying they would not, and added: "If this decision is made (to grant permission for a third runway and access road) we learnt some lessons from Climate Camp last year.

"If it comes down to it we are fully prepared to stand in front of the bulldozers. I want the Government and others to know how serious we are about this and our message is 'this is not going to happen."

Councillor Keith Burrows cabinet member of planning and transportation at Hillingdon Council described the whole expansion of Heathrow as: "A monster which should never have gone on the drawing board."

He added: "I will continue to support NoTRAG (No Third Runway Action Group) and this campaign and as long as I am member for planning I will never sign off anything which allows this monster of a plan to go ahead.

"I will also stand should-to-shoulder with you in front of the bulldozers and I don't care who I get hauled up in front of because of it."

Linda Scott, wife of Reverend Bob Scott who used to serve at Harlington Baptist Church and who was buried at the cemetery also made her concerns known.

She said: "It was just one week ago that my husband was buried and he protested against the third runway himself, and I can hear him saying over my dead body will this go through."

Concerns were also raised about where future loved ones would be buried as the cemetery is only one of three graveyards with capacity for future burials out of a total of seven in the borough.