Heathrow tunnel closed by demonstration causing major tailbacks on M4 and sparking chaos for airport passengers
Climate change protesters Rising Up! are campaigning against a third runway
A DEMONSTRATION blocked the Heathrow Tunnel for three hours this morning causing major tailbacks on the M4 and sparking chaos for airport passengers.
Climate change protesters Rising Up! , campaigning against a third runway, used three cars to block the tunnel, chaining themselves to at least one.
Video footage showed protesters chained to a blue car, with a sign saying "no new runways" attached to it.
Pictures of the M4 showed long queues of gridlocked traffic.
Angry holidaymakers took to social media, to vent their frustration at the protesters.
One said: "Heathrow protesters are f***ing arseholes! Ruining people's holidays! There're other ways to protest! You'd get the same result. ie, none!"
A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said: “Earlier this morning protesters staged a demonstration in the in-bound tunnel to Terminals 2 and 3 – the protesters have now been removed by the Police and the tunnel has re-opened.
“Whilst Heathrow supports the right to peaceful protest within the law, the safety and security of our passengers, aircraft and colleagues together with the smooth running of the operation is paramount.
"Contraflow traffic measures were quickly instituted to keep traffic flowing and there were no significant impacts on flights from the airport today.
"We apologise to passengers whose journeys may have taken a bit longer because of this unlawful protest.”
Five people have been arrested.
A police spokesman said: "At about 8.25am on Tuesday, February 21 police were called to reports of a tunnel near Heathrow Airport has been blocked to traffic by protesters.
"Officers attended the inbound tunnel and found three cars blocking the tunnel, with three protesters locked to one of them.
"The drivers of two of the vehicles- both men - were arrested for obstructing a highway and taken into custody at a west London police station.
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"Heathrow officers worked with Heathrow Airport staff to remove the people locked to the third car.
"These two men and one woman were, once removed, arrested on for obstructing a highway.
"One man has been taken to hospital as a precaution; the remaining man and woman have been taken into custody.
"The cars have been removed and the tunnel was re-opened around 11.30am."
A plan to build a third runway at Heathrow was chosen in October as the Government's preferred option for increasing capacity in south-east England.
An additional 260,000 take-off or landings will be permitted each year from the expanded airport, up from the current cap of 480,000, according to a draft National Policy Statement.
Activist Simon Bramwell said: "This blockade is our contribution to the consultation: a third runway is a disastrous option that will lead to climate chaos.
"I look upon my niece and nephew, upon the children who will inherit the future we are creating right now, and my conscience tells me to act."
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