PROTESTERS calling themselves Hounslow Against New Terminals have spent their third night on top of a crane at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 building site, to highlight the ‘devastation’ caused to the local community by airport expansion.

Four protesters spent their third night up on the crane at the Terminal 5 building site at Heathrow on Wednesday. Seven members first occupied the crane on the Terminal 5 site early on Monday morning.

HANT said they were protesting against the government's aggressive airport expansion programme.

They said they feared devastation of local communities, including the poisoning of 35,000 people, with unacceptable levels of nitrogen dioxide in Hounslow - already one of the most polluted boroughs in the UK.

A spokesman for BAA said: "Of the eight protesters who gained access to a crane at the western perimeter of the T5 site on Monday morning, four came down at around 5.30pm the same day and four have remained up the crane over night. The four who came down were arrested and escorted off the site by the police.

"Emergency services remain in attendance. Improved safety harnesses have been offered by police as a result of concerns about the adequacy of the equipment being used.

"Their protest is in relation to the current debate around additional runway capacity in the south-east.

“BAA respects the right of individuals to make their views known within the law. We regard this protest as dangerous and irresponsible."

Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell said: "I fully understand the depth of anger that has motivated them to direct action.

"They feel, as we do, that no one has been listening for nearly 15 years now.

"We are angry that we were promised consistently there would be no further development after Terminal Five, but within six months a third runway and a sixth terminal were also proposed.

"This is what has motivated this kind of direct action, and I completely understand why."