Hounslow Council's online petition results for a better not bigger Heathrow has raised questions over airport expansion.
Having made leaflet drops to thousands of homes in the borough to promote the online petition, receiving only 839 signatures will come as a blow to the west London council whose bulk of residents live under the Heathrow flight path.
The scarcely signed anti-airport expansion petition, aimed at Hounslow residents, was first posted on the council website in October last year and ran for just under six months with a deadline of March 8. But, on average, just five people a day backed the council's campaign.
It stated that Hounslow was proud to have Heathrow on its doorstep but wanted a better not bigger airport which meant no third runway, better protection from noise for residents and schools and also better public transport to and from the airport
But the campaign which was meant to demonstrate Hounslow's opposition to Heathrow expansion failed to take off.
Pro-airport expansion group Back Heathrow said the petition results have "spectacularly backfired".
Campaign co-ordinator Rob Gray added: “The poor response to this petition exposes how opponents of Heathrow expansion have clearly overstated their supporter numbers.
"This now raises serious questions about the true level of local opposition to the airport’s expansion.”
Hounslow Council commented only to say "our position will remain the same – we want a better not bigger airport".
