THE time for local people to make their views known to the Government about proposals to expand Heathrow Airport with a third runway and sixth terminal is running out. The consultation ends on February 27.

I am opposing these proposals and encourage you to tell the Government you are also against them through the consultation.

The plans will cost as much as £9bn, increase flights from 480,000 to over 700,000 a year, create 4.5m extra tube journeys, an extra 4m train passengers, and 25m extra car trips to Heathrow making our part of West London even more congested and polluted than ever. They will also result in the destruction of over 750 homes including the entire village of Sipson.

The number of schools around the airport where children would experience noise of about 63 decibels - designated as a nuisance - would rise from 14 to 20. One such school is Featherstone Primary in Southall, where, if the third runway is built, planes will fly over every 90 seconds causing such a noise that teaching and learning will become virtually impossible.

The new flight landing path will fly over the southern parts of Ealing and Southall causing noise nuisance for the first time for hundreds of my constituents and the proposed departure flight path will do the same flying over Southall, Greenford and Northolt. The new runway is planned to be operating by 2020 but in the interim the Government supports the use of the existing two runways for both take-offs and landings. This will mean a new easterly flight path over Boston Manor, Gunnersbury and Acton causing yet more noise for more of my constituents.

This is all without factoring into the equation the contribution this expansion and the increased flights will have on carbon emissions and global warming. Figures show that unless something is done the UK's ever-expanding aviation industry will be using all of Britain's permitted carbon emissions by 2037. Global warming has to be stopped and a halt to Heathrow expansion would be a good place to start.

You can respond to the consultation by telephoning 0845 6004170 or online at www.dft.gov.uk/heathrowconsultation