The pro-Heathrow expansion campaign has been accused of getting “up to its old tricks” after press releases sent to different newspapers contained near identical quotes attributed to different residents attacking their respective MPs.

Back Heathrow sent the releases to this newspaper with quotes attributed to a Twickenham resident and another to GetWestLondon with comments from a Chiswick resident.

Both shared many similarities.

The campaign group, which was started with funding from the airport, included resident comments criticising their MPs’ opposition to third runway proposals ahead of a parliamentary debate on the Airports Commission report organised by Dr Mathias and Brentford and Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury, both anti-expansion campaigners.

In the release, Twickenham resident Philip Stockley said: “Tania Mathias’ view on Heathrow is not shared by a lot of local people. She is out of touch.”

While the Chiswick resident, Lateef Shattu, said: “Ruth Cadbury is out of touch with the views of most local people when it comes to the airport.”

The parallels continue: “A thriving Heathrow is essential to secure jobs and growth in our area,” said the Twickenham resident.

While in Chiswick they got: “We need a bigger and better Heathrow in order to secure jobs and investment in our area.”

A Back Heathrow spokesman insisted both of the people quoted felt passionately about expansion and came up with their comments individually.

John Stewart, chairman of anti-expansion group Hacan, said it could not be a coincidence the two comments from people who do not know each other were so similar.

He said: “What my instinct was when I first saw the story was they [GetWestLondon] have not put this together off the back of what one resident has said.

“It is a crude attempt to discredit Ruth Cadbury and Tania Mathias who are the two backers of the debate in Parliament.”

Mr Stewart added: “Back Heathrow have been getting surprisingly sloppy with their comments.

“They are up to their old dirty tricks and this time they have been found out.”

Mr Stockley, a 72-year-old former helicopter pilot who lives in Poulett Gardens, said he stands by the comments, but was not completely sure how Back Heathrow put the release together.

He said: “I don’t quite know how they go about it and I stand behind my quote though I would have preferred to have added something to it.”

He added: “I leant my name to the petition because as far as I am concerned it [expansion] should have been done 20 years ago and it is weak politicians that have meant it hasn’t.

“Heathrow is a generator of jobs and if you let it die what is going to happen to all the jobs in the area?

“They [Back Heathrow] didn’t seem to want all my input and quotes, possibly because some of it was quite contentious.”

Dr Mathias, who joined five mayoral candidates in speaking out against third runway proposals at Parliament Square in October, said the airport is already too noisy and too polluting with its two existing runways.

She said: “No amount of Heathrow propaganda will change that.

“What I’m doing with this debate, and all of my other work in this area, is representing the views of thousands of my constituents and scrutinising the Davies Report and the case for Heathrow, which is riddled with flaws and contradictions.

“I don’t want to shut Heathrow down, but it has to become a much better neighbour particularly regarding pollution and night disturbance.”

The Government is expected to make a decision about whether to give expansion the go-ahead by Christmas.