LEADERS of Kent County Council have pulled out of an organisation that backs the plan for an airport at Cliffe.

The county council resigned from the Local Government Association's Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group (SASIG) after it wrote a report strongly supporting an airport on Cliffe Marshes.

The report, leaked to the Financial Times, is due to go to the Government at the end of November. KCC leader Sandy Bruce-Lockhart was said to be angry after reading the document.

It is said to oppose expansion of existing airports and describe Cliffe as a "visionary solution." In a letter Cllr Burce-Lockhart told SASIG director Jim Bailey: "Further to our conversation on Monday, I confirm that Kent County Council has now resigned from SASIG.

"In particular, we object to the fact that SASIG has now put out a report to the press with Kent County Council's name on the back supporting the Government's proposals for Cliffe.

"We are extremely concerned when we have made it quite clear within SASIG meetings that Kent remains firmly opposed to the Cliffe option."

Cllr Bruce-Lockhart condemned as "absolutely disgraceful" SASIG's omission in the report of KCC opposition to the airport. He claimed that SASIG's view was influenced by its use of a Surrey County Council building.

Surrey is understood to be against any expansion at Gatwick. The Financial Times reported that Mr Bailey called Cllr Bruce-Lockhart's claim "extremely offensive."

He said: "This report is nothing whatsoever to do with Surrey County Council."

He added that Kent's opposition to the airport would be made clear in the final version sent to the Government.