TWO Tory MPs have publicly opposed plans for the estuary airport.

Castle Point MP Rebecca Harris and James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, fear the plan would be detrimental to south Essex.

Mrs Harris, who met with London mayor Boris Johnson before Christmas, said: “I will be opposing anything which would spoil the tranquillity of my constituency.

“Mr Johnson knows how concerned I am and that it would not be acceptable to local MPs to bring the noise and congestion and problems in London to south Essex and North Kent.

“But I welcome the proposed Government review on this.”

Mr Duddridge added: “I do not think this airport is right, sensible, realistic or deliverable.

“We have a regional airport which is widely supported in the community – Southend Airport.

“We have recently seen Stobart group investing millions of pounds into this project and this investment is starting to pay dividends.”

Meanwhile, county councillor Ray Howard believes expanding Manston Airport in Kent could be the answer, as it is an area he feels would be better equipped to deal with the influx of passengers.

Mr Howard said: “I recognise the country is lagging behind in aviation, and I want the country to prosper, but not at a detriment to the environment. An airport in the Thames Estuary is not the answer.

“I have put forward this proposal as an alternative because at the end of the day the building is already there and it would mean not starting from scratch.

“And the airport is hardly used and Kent’s infrastructure is above any other county in the country.

“That airport has runways 2,752 metres long, which can accommodate larger planes, and it has terminal buildings already in place.”