CLOSURE of Heathrow Airport could lead to the loss of more than 100,000 jobs and £8bn from the economy, a new study has warned.

The Heathrow Economic Impact Study, produced by Regeneris , was published this week by a consortium of five organisations from ‘the Western Wedge’ area – regarded as one of the most economies in the UK and Europe.

The five groups are Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Enterprise M3 LEP, Thames Valley Berkshire LEP, Oxfordshire LEP and West London Business.

The Davies Commission is investigating three options for the future expansion of air traffic: to close Heathrow and build a new hub in the east of London; to do nothing; or to expand Heathrow.

The consortium believes the worst option would be to close Heathrow and indicates this study is evidence of that.

West London Business chief executive Frank Wingate said: “This important piece of research, covering the greater Heathrow economy, demonstrates just how devastating the closure of Heathrow would be.”

The organisations are instead calling for expansion, claiming this would boost the economy and job numbers.

Alex Pratt, chairman of Buckinghamshire Thames Valley LEP, said: “We are all in a global economic race and need to focus hard now on our international competitiveness. By this time, we should have been agonising about Runway Four at Heathrow, not Runway Three.

“Our competitors are stealing a march on us and our children will have to pay the costs of our pontification.”