Climate Camp at Heathrow
Updated on 12 August 2007
Setting up camp for a showdown at Heathrow airport. Climate change protestors check in early.
Climate Camp - they call it - with a basic message - no airport expansion.
It's an eco-village on a large rectangle of wasteland, just north of Heathrow. A vanguard of protestors arrived last night and have been busily establishing camp ever since.
Except for the noise - so close to the north runway - this could also be mistaken as the site for a small music festival.
The mood - all round - seemed amiable enough. The police are patrolling the perimeter, while the campers getting ready for a week of protest.
On the map it can be found just north of the airport on land owned, we were told, by Imperial College, London. But the campers say - theirs is a legal squat. We weren't allowed on the site today. Guided tours will start on Tuesday.
New campers - and they're expecting up to 2000 people over the coming days - will be asked for a donation of £10 or more. It's yet to be determined what is planned for the mass day of action - next Sunday.
About 1.5m people will pass through Heathrow in the coming week. The British Airport Authority says it will ensure that everything is done to guarantee their safety and comfort.
