Ruth Kelly's home is 'flashmobbed'

8:10pm Thursday 3rd July 2008

ACTIVISTS targeted the Bolton and London homes of MP, Ruth Kelly, to protest at the Government's backing of plans to expand Heathrow Airport.

Aircraft noise was played through the letterbox of her London Docklands apartment for 15 minutes at 7.30am yesterday until the protestors were reportedly chased away by her husband.

And later on, paper planes covered in images of the Transport Secretary and Bolton West MP's face, were flown into the side of the Department of Transport's headquarters.

Last night, a spokesman for Ms Kelly's department said: "Everyone has the right to make their views known and to protest, providing they do so within the law.

"The Government is currently considering the 70,000 responses to the Heathrow consultation in which everyone has had the opportunity to send us their views on our proposals.

"The Government expects to make a decision later this year after considering all the responses it has received to the consultation."

The protest started when six female activists from the Plane Stupid campaign group targeted Ms Kelley's London home. The group's Manchester wing also protested outside her house in Bolton at the same time.

The Flash Mob struck shortly before 11am when they turned up outside the DTI's headquarters in Westminster wearing red t-shirts emblazoned with the message No Airport Expansion'.

One of the organisers, John Stewart, of linked anti-expansion group, Hacan, said: "I am very pleased with this demonstration and it shows the strength of feeling about expansion."

The demonstrations were an attempt to influence Mrs Kelly, who is due to rule late this year on the building of a third runway at Heathrow Airport to cope with more planes.

They were attended by Liberal Democrat deputy leader Vince Cable, whose Twickenham constituency is below the flight paths of many Heathrow-bound planes.

He said: "Expansion would do much harm in terms of noise and emissions."

A spokesman for Plane Stupid said the peaceful demonstrations outside Mrs Kelly's homes had also gone well.

Elizabeth Baines said the group had left a letter for the MP with her husband, which read: "We do hope that you will keep this early-morning wake-up call in mind when you decide the future of Heathrow after summer recess."

Olympic silver medal for Jason