At last,a government prepared to treat air transport seriously. The third runway at Heathrow will do wonders for the UK economy in these troubled times.

But it is only fair to ensure that people adversely affected by the air transport industry should also benefit.

Perhaps the Government should consider turning the whole area around Heathrow into a giant industrial estate as it has been rendered virtually uninhabitable over the last few years by not only aircraft noise, but also the pollution and stench of aircraft fuel.

As it is, the people of Sipson should be grateful for being offered considerable compensation to relocate from what is neither a particularly attractive nor an historically significant village.

JOHN EOIN DOUGLAS Edinburgh, via email.