Plans to expand Lydd Airport have come under fire from a new source – the Campaign to Protect Rural England.

The CPRE’s Kent branch, based in Smeeth, has launched a report called Tomorrow’s Kent.

Focusing on the impact of climate change on Kent and its countryside, the report conclues the county has vulnerabilities which mean it is likely to be hit earlier and harder than any other areas of the UK.

In a statement, it said: "Romney Marsh faces the threat of sea level rise and coastal flooding.

"Faced by such an uncertain future, it makes the proposals for an expanded Lydd airport look even more irresponsible.

However, Michael Walsh, of the group backing the expansion of the airport, reckons they don’t have the best interests of the area at heart.

He said: "Aircraft cause pollution, nobody is arguing against that but what you have to put against it is the employment that it would create.

"There are hundreds of young people leaving the area to find work - it is an exodus and the airport will provide jobs for those youngsters."

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