by Alan McGuinness

Almost 15,000 opponents of a Thames Estuary airport have emailed Chancellor George Osborne, calling on him to drop the idea.

The RSPB started the campaign less than a month ago and said the strong response sent a "clear signal" to the government that the airport was not wanted.

The email, which can be personalised, urges Mr Osborne to "put the natural environment at the heart of your policies for the UK’s economic recovery" ahead of the Budget on March 21.

An airport would "undoubtedly destroy internationally important areas for wildlife on an unprecedented scale, as well as undermining our global commitments to reduce carbon emissions and help avoid catastrophic climate change," it adds.

The Thames Estuary is used by approximately 300,000 migratory birds each year, and the risk of a bird bringing down a plane there would be higher than at any other airport in the country, it is claimed.

The government is set to include the idea of an airport in north Kent in a consultation about aviation capacity in the South East.

A date has yet to be set, but reports suggest the announcement will be made around the time of the Budget.

Sophie McCallum, RSPB spokesman, said the charity hoped Mr Osborne would take note of the strength of opposition.

She said: "It’s a clear signal to George Osborne that there is a huge groundswell of public support for our position that we don’t need damaging developments such as the proposed Thames Estuary Airport.

"The economy is important, but protecting our environment is important too and we don’t have to choose between them.

"We can have sustainable growth that acknowledges the value of the natural world that sustains us. We hope George will wake up and take note."

You can find the email at www.rspb.org.uk