Heathrow climate campaigners deny hoax bomb claim

Police patrol the edge of the camp for Climate Action on the site of the proposed expansion for Heathrow Airport at Sipson near London on August 14, 2007. Climate campaigners protesting against expansion plans at Heathrow airport on Tuesday rejected a report they would endanger passengers at the world's busiest international airline hub.

SIPSON (Reuters) - Climate campaigners protesting against expansion plans at London's Heathrow airport on Tuesday rejected a report they would endanger passengers at the world's busiest international airline hub.

The campaigners, who have set up a camp next to Heathrow, have threatened "direct action" but lodged a protest with the Press Complaints Commission about a newspaper report they planned to make hoax bomb calls to disrupt air traffic.

"We cannot afford to alienate the public and we will not. Direct action will be safe and it won't be targeting passengers," said campaigner and Leeds University science lecturer Simon Lewis.

He and about 250 other campaigners are camping on the path of a proposed third runway for the airport, which handles 200,000 passengers a day. The protest is being staged at the height of the summer holiday season.

Just over six weeks ago a blazing jeep was used to attack Glasgow airport but caused no casualties in the building. Last year, police foiled what they said was a plan to bomb airliners flying out of Heathrow to the United States.

Scientists say air transport contributes heavily to global warming.

The campaigners plan a week of protests in a bid to force the government to halt expansion at the airport.

They said protests could involve a mass picnic in Sipson, a town set for destruction if the runway is built, and targeting the offices of airport operator BAA, owned by Spain's Ferrovial company.

BAA said it agreed there was a debate to be had about aviation and climate change.

"But the 1.5 million passengers who will travel through the airport during the (week-long) camp have a right to go about their lawful travel plans without being harassed or intimidated," BAA said in a statement.

Heathrow handles an average of about one flight a minute and a total of nearly 70 million passengers a year.