Campaigners opposing a Thames Estuary airport have handed over a petition with more than 1,500 signatures, as MP Mark Reckless reveals the results of a ballot on the plans.

Mr Reckless, MP for Rochester and Strood, joined local residents and campaigners at St James' Church in Cooling to reveal the results of his No Estuary Airport ballot before making his submission to the Davies Aviation Commission.

Over the past seven months, residents across the Rochester and Strood constituency have been asked for their opinion on whether or not they support the proposals to build a new hub airport in or around the Thames Estuary.

Just under 8,000 residents have had their say. Overall, 92.6% do not support the proposals, with just 7.3% in favour.

In Strood Rural and Peninsula wards, which would be most impacted by a new airport, the figure was even higher - with 94.4% of all respondents saying no and just 5.5% supporting the plans.

Across the rest of the constituency, excluding Peninsula and Strood Rural wards, 87.8% of local residents oppose the plans, with 12.1% in favour.

Mr Reckless said: "These proposals are, economically, completely unjustified.

"It is going to cost, perhaps, up to £100bn, and much of that will be government-guaranteed money, while all of the other proposals will be, in the main, privately funded. I just don't believe it's a credible proposal which merits further investigation.

"That's what I said to Sir Howard Davies when I met him a week or so ago, and this ballot shows the strength of feeling against the proposals here in Rochester and Strood."

Mr Reckless also accepted for submission to the Davies Commission a 1,500-strong petition against the Thames Estuary airport on behalf of the Friends of North Kent Marshes (FoNKM).

Speaking at the event, Gill Moore of FoNKM, said: "We're asking the Davies Commission to rule out all thoughts of a Thames Estuary airport at the earliest opportunity and we hope he will be doing that in December.

"We've collected loads and loads of signatures alongside our MP Mark Reckless, and we're hoping against hope that the Davies Commission will take notice of it."

Mr Reckless handed the petition, along with his own submission and the result of the ballot to Jillian Spindura at the office of the Davies Airport Commission, which will make recommendations to the government on airport capacity in the south east.

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