JOHN PRESCOTT ACTS.

The Secretary of State for the Environment, John Prescott, has demanded an immediate inquiry into air safety.

The news has been welcomed by the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (HACAN) following official reports that increasing air traffic is becoming more difficult to control.

Chairman of HACAN Dermot Cox said people living in the area were getting very worried about the situation.

He said: "Residents are becoming very concerned at the increasing frequency of air misses.

"They are not reassured by complaints from the air traffic controllers themselves that the growth in air traffic means they are under unacceptable pressure which is raising the chances of a serious accident."

The Secretary of State has acted following a series of near misses in the skies over London during 1997.

The transport select committee has written to Mr Prescott saying that air traffic controllers at West Drayton are under pressure and they warn that this increased the possibility of accidents happening.

"This was making mistakes and accidents more likely," the letter states.

The Secretary of State has promised that the findings into the inquiry will be published in the near future.

The Superjumbo is set to take to the air in 2003 amid accusations that the bigger planes will mean more noise overhead for boroughs like Richmond.

The A3XX, which carries 40 per cent more passengers than the jumbo, is to be launched next year.

But the French-based designers claim that it is some three decibels quieter than its smaller sister.

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