Campaigners have urged the Government not to use the temporary lift on night flight restrictions at Heathrow, which has helped hundreds of stranded Britons return home, as a precedent for non-emergencies in the future.

The Department for Transport (DfT) granted permission for extra planes to land and take off between 11pm and 6am after Iceland’s volcanic ash cloud caused a six-day UK airspace shutdown.

Meanwhile, airline catering and cleaning companies faced a backlash from up to 2,000 workers over claims that bosses told them to take annual or unpaid voluntary leave while aircraft were grounded.

Union Unite said staff – the majority of whom live in the borough – were seeking legal advice over their enforced time off.

Heathrow had 24 overnight flights on Wednesday – eight more than the average allowed within its quota.

John Stewart, chairman of campaign group Hacan, said residents living under the flight paths would understand BAA’s need to fly planes through the night, but added: “I think the bigger worry is the Government will use this as a precedent in the future.

“This is a genuine emergency, but what happens if the Olympics come along and the Government says we’ve got to get so many people in and out of the country, let’s do what we did in the time of the volcano. We accept this is almost a unique emergency but the Government should not take advantage of it.”

The DfT said it would decide whether to continue the dispensation “on a day-by-day basis”.

Simon Butler, 49, of Cygnet Avenue, Feltham, said he had noticed more flights on Wednesday night but sympathised with travellers stuck abroad.

He said: “It was more noticeable because it’s been so quiet this last week, but if you buy a house in Feltham then you expect it.”

Heathrow is currently allowed 2,550 night flights during the six-month winter season, and 3,250 in the summer.

The DfT called it an “exceptional situation” and BAA apologised to residents for the disturbance.

Ann Keen, parliamentary candidate for Brentford and Isleworth, held meetings with union officials and the Department for Works and Pensions in support for affected airport workers.

A spokeswoman for catering firm Gate Gourmet said it was forced to close as a result of the flight ban and cancel orders with suppliers.

She added: "In terms of taking time off, our employees, both frontline and management, were given a number of options to choose from and all were made aware of what this would mean for them.

"We also engaged Unite with our plans from the outset. We needed to take the necessary short-term action in order to safeguard the long-term future of our business and all the jobs it provides.”

A spokesman for BAA said its own staff were paid as normal.

Schools are slowly returning to normal after pupils and teachers were stuck abroad.

Gumley House Convent School, in Isleworth, was yesterday expecting to welcome back 41 students and four staff who had been stranded in Washington.

Victoria Eadie, headteacher of Feltham Community College, said she hoped 15 of her staff, who had been on holiday in countries including Egypt, Australia and Dubai, would be back by Monday.

Heathland School had about a dozen children stuck abroad, many in India, while teachers were left scattered across the globe.

In Chiswick residents reported ash falling, meanwhile National Trust properties near Heathrow offered free entry to foreign travellers stranded in the UK.