10:48AM, Tuesday 21 February 2017
Update: Heathrow has said the tunnel has been reopened and traffic is now returning to normal.
Protestors blockading the main access route to Heathrow Airport has caused tailbacks on the M4.
It has been organised by the group Rising Up! and three activists have chained themselves to a vehicle in the inbound tunnel to terminals two and three.
It is a protest against the proposed third runway.
Simon Bramwell, one of the activists involved, said: “Heathrow’s consultation process is illegitimate and undemocratic, conducted around the assumption that airport expansion is an option. This blockade is our contribution to the consultation; a 3rd runway is a disastrous option that will lead to climate chaos.
"I am breaking conditions imposed on me by the courts, following road blockades in November, but the government is not listening to the science or to our concerns.
“They have left us with no alternative but to keep taking action. We will not stop until plans to build another runway are fully and finally shut down.”
In a tweet, Heathrow Airport advised passengers leaving extra time for their journeys to the airport.
If you’re travelling to Terminal 2 or 3 today, please allow extra time for the journey. Passengers can access T2/T3 from other terminals too pic.twitter.com/S6arsb6hbS
— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) 21 February 2017
Update 12.12pm: Metropolitan Police were called to the scene at 8.25am and the tunnel reopened at 11.30am.
Four men and one woman were arrested for obstructing a highway.
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