Three charged after Heathrow tunnel protest
Three people have been charged with unlawfully blocking a tunnel at Heathrow Airport following a protest yesterday.
Protest group Plane Stupid said three of its members blockaded the tunnel in yesterday’s rush hour by parking a car across both lanes and locking themselves to it.
The protest, which started at 7.40am, blocked the access tunnel to Terminals 1, 2, and 3 and caused traffic gridlock.
Police were called and the tunnel was eventually re-opened at around lunchtime.
Metropolitain police said Esme Woldren, 22, of Walmer Crescent, Brighton, William Pettifer, 26, of Mill Lane, Radford, and, Alastair Cannell, 26, of no fixed address, have been bailed to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on December 21.
Two other people have been bailed to return to a west London police station pending further enquiries.
Taking responsibility for the demonstration, Plane Stupid spokesperson Cameron Kaye said yesterday: "There is already airport capacity for families taking their yearly holiday. New runways only benefit the 15% of flyers who take 70% of our flights, cooking our planet.
"These are rich frequent leisure flyers. The most reliable predictors of frequent flyer status are a household income over £115,000 and owning a second home abroad, but it’s the poorest people who suffer most from climate change."
In July, Plane Stupid activists blocked Heathrow’s North runway, reportedly causing 22 flights to be cancelled and hundreds delayed.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements