GRIDLOCKED roads, more noise pollution and up to 10,000 new homes would be the price for Malling residents of a new airport at Cliffe, councillors have warned.

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has joined the growing list of local authorities opposing Government plans for a third major airport to serve London and the South East, on the Hoo Peninsula.

At Wednesday's cabinet meeting, councillors said a new £11.5 billion airport in the north of the county would stretch the borough's roads to bursting point, bring an explosion of housing developments and a huge increase in noise levels.

Keith Nicholson, the council's director of planning and engineering, said the airport would mean finding space for 10,000 extra homes and that traffic problems would be "horrendous".

Mr Nicholson said that the A2 would not be able to cope so traffic would divert to the M20 via the A228 both of which are already close to capacity.

He added: "The airport would seriously exacerbate this situation and require an upgrading of the A228 as well as the widening of the M20 and possibly even the M26. The traffic implications are horrendous."

Residents in the Burham and Wouldham area would be the hardest hit by noise pollution from low-flying aircraft, as one of the runways would point towards them.

Cllr Paul Hickmott (Lab) said: "There's going to be a massive increase in noise and disturbance to our residents and traffic on the A228 and M20. There will have to be extra housing it just beggars belief. We can't take another 10,000 homes. We need to oppose this very strongly."

Cllr David Lettington (Lib Dem) said: "I think the implications to Tonbridge and Malling could be devastating."

Council leader, David Thornewell urged everyone in the borough to raise the strongest possible objection.

He warned: "Kent would be a completely different place. We might as well tear up the structure plan and start again."