On your bike Boris. That's the verdict of an exclusive poll by the Medway Messenger into local opinion on the Thames Estuary airport debate.

It is the first major test of views of the people of Medway into what they think about the idea of putting a £50bn hub on so-called Boris Island or Grain - as touted by architect Norman Foster.

We interviewed hundreds of readers at random and found that, of those who expressed a preference, three quarters were against the idea.

The issue has been pushed to the top of the domestic political agenda by the Mayor of London.

Our results show there is no room for complacency among the anti-airport campaigners as more than a third of people were undecided.

The government is set to launch a consultation over airport capacity in the South East with ‘Boris Island’ and Norman Foster’s blueprint for a four-runway hub on Grain expected to be included. n Full report, page 12; Comment, page 22.

For the full results, see Friday's Medway Messenger.