Airport bosses plans to expand Stansted will be met with stiff opposition.

Essex County Council has said the capacity of Stansted Airport should stop at 15 million passengers a year.

The announcement came after plans to increase the airport to 25 million passengers a year were announced by BAA chief executive, Mike Hodgkinson, at the January airport consultative committee meeting.

But Essex county councillors have said they will resist moves by BAA. They have also agreed to co-operate with the three other authorities affected by the airport - Uttlesford and East Herts district councils and Hertfordshire County Council.

In a joint statement issued on Tuesday after a meeting of the county's environment services board, the three political parties say they are committed to protecting the interests of the Essex community.

And the members emphasised that co-operation with Stansted did not imply acceptance of any planning application made to Uttlesford.

Braintree county councillor, Doug Rice, said the authority needed to study the impact of a bigger and busier Stansted on the environment, the local community, the economy and the infrastructure of the area.

"Local people and businesses are rightly concerned and they deserve to know the full facts before any decision is taken.

"We cannot allow BAA to assume their plans will receive support," he added.

Voicing opposition comes as Stansted enjoyed record levels of growth in the number of passengers passing through its terminals.

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