It’s plane stoopid: that was the message on one of the placards as protesters blockaded one of the entrances to Farnborough Airport.
Protests against the airport’s expansion continued last weekend with a small group of opponents and climate activists blocking access to the main gate.
The peaceful protest on Sunday, April 13, lasted for around two hours and involved campaigners from the likes of Extinction Rebellion, Alton Climate Action Network, Farnborough Noise Group and the Friends of the Earth.
The protest was the latest in a series against plans to almost double the number of private jets using the airport to 70,000 a year by 2040.
Airport bosses insist the expansion will fuel growth, create jobs and secure its long term future, but concerns have been raised about the noise and environmental impact, with additional flights over Farnham, Haslemere, north Hampshire and afar as Petersfield and the Rother Valley.
“This will also mean more night flights and holding stacks at 3,000ft over places like Petersfield and Farnham,” said campaigner, Colin Shearn, in protest against the plans early this year.
“The impact of these decisions will be felt by future generations in terms of pollution and climate change but more immediately in house prices and noise disturbance.”
A decision on whether the expansion should take place is expected in late summer but protesters taking part in the blockade have vowed to keep the pressure on until then.
“Quite frankly, we’re opposing that they’re here at all,” said a protester from Alton in a video shot by XR.
“We’ve had the OK from the government to expand Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton, which is insanity considering the ecological and climate crisis we’re facing.
“But to expand this airport, which is for private jets, for me is the lowest of the low and the worst of the worst. These are people flying away for the weekend to go skiing.”
“It can’t be business as usual,” said another protester.
“It’s a relatively small protest today but we just don’t want to let up on them and have a free pass – we don’t want them to think we’ve forgotten about them.”
While they look to the skies, a Waverley woman has taken part in a capital campaign to highlight the need to clean up Britain’s riverways and waterways.
Environmental artist Angela Shaw travelled to Hammersmith on Boat Race day to promote the Water Pressure Campaign and its outreach event.
Water Pressure is a coalition of environmental groups coordinated by the XR Dirty Water Campaign.
The group hanged banners with messages like ‘our water, your profit’ and ‘row, retch, expire’ along the banks and asked spectators to complete a short survey, with the vast majority calling the state of British waterways and rivers “utterly disgusting”.
The poor state of the Thames was also highlighted by campaign group, River Action, with e.coli being found in multiple water samples during a week of testing.
Tests for bacteria started on March 10 with almost a third of samples exceeding the “safe” limit.