WALTHAMSTOW MP Neil Gerrard has joined local children in a show of solidarity for a village threatened with demolition by third runway plans at Heathrow.

Pupils at Hillyfields Primary School showed their support by planting an apple tree at the weekend, along with Mr Gerrard and volunteers from Greenpeace.

The tree is twinned with one in Sipson, the village at risk of being destroyed if the third runway goes ahead.

Cox apples were first bred near Sipson in the 1850s by Richard Cox, who is buried on the site earmarked for the new runway.

His body will have to be exhumed if construction work begins on the site.

An apple orchard has been planted on the site this month by celebrities and politicians as a sign of protest against the plans.

Mr Gerrard said: “I just don’t think we need more runways – it’s as simple as that.

“I think we should be looking to dissuade people from flying when they don’t really need to.

“A lot of internal flights are unnecessary if we’ve got high speed rail and I really don’t think we need more runways in the south east.”

To find out more about Greenpeace’s campaign, visit airplot.org.uk