Campaigners prepare for Heathrow action

Police are bracing themselves for the climax of the climate camp at Heathrow Airport.

Protesters, boosted by an influx of new arrivals, have promised 24 hours of direct action.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "We are well-experienced in dealing with events of this nature.

"We've got plenty of officers at Heathrow and we are aware of what the protesters are saying, but it's virtually impossible to predict what is going to happen.

"If tomorrow is their last day, you'd expect something to happen. It's pretty peaceful at the moment though."

One officer, among the hundreds monitoring the camp, said: "All leave has been cancelled for officers this weekend. I've not seen my children for a week."

The protesters at the "Camp for Climate Action" are squatting near the village of Sipson, between the airport and the M4, on land owned by Imperial College.

There have been huge traffic jams caused by police checks on the southbound M4 spur road, a main artery into Heathrow, as officers prepared for up to 2,000 more people to join the camp.

The squatters are campaigning against the expansion of Heathrow and aviation in general because they believe carbon-emitting activities such as air travel contribute to global warming.

A spokeswoman for Heathrow said the airport had been unaffected by the protesters so far.

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