U-turn over Thames airport

Environment Minister Michael Meacher has backed down over plans to turn a Thames beauty spot into the capital's next new airport

The U-turn came yesterday when he was questioned by Bill Oddie - Britain's best known bird lover and former TV Goodies star - about the future of Cliffe Marshes on the Kent bank of the Thames

Mr Meacher admitted Cliffe Marshes was a "haven" for wildlife and added: "I can't say 'over my dead body'. But I can say there is no government commitment to an airport while I'm the minister."

Mr Meacher told an audience debating environmental attitudes that Heathrow was "full to over-capacity" and new London sites would be needed because of the growth in air traffic.