The prospect of an extra 10m passengers a year using Stansted Airport will "horrify" villagers, a pressure group has claimed.

Operator BAA Stansted said it was "delighted" that Uttlesford District Council in Essex gave the expansion the go-ahead on Thursday, although final Government approval will be needed.

But anti-expansion campaigner Norman Meade said local residents were being left to "grin and bear" environmental pollution, a lower quality of life and pressures to urbanise the rural area.

The �250m proposed development of the existing single runway will see capacity at the Essex airport boosted to 25m passengers annually by 2010, BAA Stansted said.

We just have to grin and bear it and it is not right

Anti-expansion campaigner Norman Meade

The number of flights would rise to 245,000, up from its current 165,000-a-year.

BAA Stansted will not be asking the Government to relax current night regulations limiting the number of flights and ban or discourage use of the noisiest aircraft.

Mr Meade, chair of the Stop Stansted Expansion campaign and general secretary of the North West Essex and East Hertfordshire Preservation Society, said: "The current 15 million (passengers) is barely sustainable and I do not see how the 25 million could be remotely sustainable.

"Somewhere along the line there ought to be enshrined in law the ability for someone to move or to be compensated for the impact on the quality of life this causes.

Quality of life

"We do not have this and we just have to grin and bear it and it is not right that people should have to do that in this day and age. Quality of life is very important to people."

Approximately 2,000 households are expected to be affected by increased noise levels, up from the 1,750 households facing similar problems in 1999, BAA Stansted said.

It predicted that the effects of noise will be less than those predicted at a public inquiry held in 1981-1983.

BAA Stansted said tactics to dampen noise levels include using continuous approaches to make arrivals quieter and routes more predictable.

It will also be reviewing incentives to encourage use of less noisy aircraft.

Increased use of the road and rail network is to be monitored and reviewed by the Strategic Rail Authority and the Highway Authority.

BAA Stansted hopes investment in affordable housing and community projects will help mitigate the environmental impacts of the scheme.

Consultation

It also aims to have the total number of cargo air transport movements limited by council planning conditions rather than by Parliament.

Terry Morgan, Stansted's managing director, said: "We must now await the authorisation of the Secretary of State.

"I can assure you that we will carry out the development in a sensitive way and manage the growth to 25m passengers a year."

There had been widespread consultation with the local community and other interested parties for the past two years, he added.