Plans to expand Lydd Airport have come under fire from a new source – the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

The CPRE’s Kent branch, based in Smeeth, launched a report this week called Tomorrow’s Kent.

Focusing on the impact of climate change on Kent and its countryside, the report concludes that the county has vulnerabilities peculiar to itself that means it is likely to be hit earlier and harder than any other areas of the UK.

In a statement, it said: “Romney Marsh faces the threat of sea level rise and coastal flooding. This is why concerned local residents have come together to form Defend our Coast, a group dedicated to ensuring that the Government invests in coastal defences in the right place and at the right time.

“Faced by such an uncertain future, it makes the proposals for an expanded Lydd airport look even more irresponsible.

“As well as damaging wildlife and the quality of life for local residents, the carbon emissions from the airport will contribute to the very problem that threatens the whole of the Romney Marsh.”

However, Michael Walsh, of the group backing the expansion of the airport, reckons they don’t have the best interests of the area at heart. He said: “They are a complete sham as far as the Marsh is concerned. I’ve been to two of their AGM’s where they were talking about gravel extraction on the Marsh, and they supported it. People have drowned in those pits but they have no concern for the people of the Marsh?

“They claim they care about the environment, but how does a gravel pit enhance the environment? They are hypocritical.

“Aircraft cause pollution, nobody is arguing against that, but what you have to put against it is the employment that it would create. There are hundreds of young people leaving the area to find work - it is an exodus and the airport will provide jobs for those youngsters.”