Stansted Airport is lobbying for a new runway

The government is looking at airport expansion proposals which could include Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, Luton and a possible air freight runway at Alconbury in Cambridgeshire.

But a Local Government Association (LGA) group fears the Transport Department's White Paper, due out next week, will contain no clear decisions and "only dithering".

This will "blight the lives of thousands of people for many years", said Richard Worrall, chairman of the Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group (SASIG) of the LGA.

In the White Paper, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling is due to detail airport expansion plans to cope with demand for air travel in the UK over the next 30 years.

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But Mr Worrall said: "Instead of bringing certainty to communities near airports, the White Paper will only increase uncertainty.

"There will be no clear decision taken next week, but only dithering.

"The White Paper will do nothing to assure those living near Stansted, Heathrow or Gatwick airports, all of which could be expanded over the next 20 years.

"Whatever is said next week, it is likely that nothing will be permanently ruled out.

"No-one will know which airport will actually be expanded first."

Ministers should have gone for a bold, fresh start by building a new airport that would have spared communities increased noise, air pollution and traffic Richard Worrall, chairman of the Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group

SASIG predicts that only Stansted of the big three south-east England airports would get a new runway.

It believes the government might tell the aviation industry that a new, short, third runway at Heathrow cannot be sanctioned until air pollution levels can be controlled.

It added that the government also seemed likely to abide by the legal agreement that there should be no new runway at Gatwick until 2019.