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Third Heathrow airport runway 'could be built over M25'

A third runway at Heathrow could be built over the M25, the Transport Secretary has said.

It comes after Theresa May's decision to back Heathrow expansion plunged the Conservatives into turmoil, as Cabinet ministers hit out at the move and a prominent MP quit.

Tory supporting councils are poised to support legal action challenging the plans and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson insisted the scheme was "undeliverable".

Conservative bosses were forced to announce the party would not fight the by-election triggered by Zac Goldsmith in protest over the third runway.

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New Heathrow runway might be built over M25

The government has said it wants to build a third runway at Heathrow. Credit: PA

A new runway at Heathrow Airport might be built over the M25, the Transport Secretary has said.

Chris Grayling's comments follow Tuesday's announcement that the government has chosen Heathrow as its preferred airport expansion project.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Grayling said: "One of the things that Heathrow has been looking at is doing what many other airports have done around the world - which is to build their runway over the top of the road rather than tunnelling the road underneath it.

"It is a cheaper and quicker way of doing it. I am, of course, very concerned to make sure that, as this runway is built, it doesn't cause massive disruption on the M25, so I think this is a sensible way.

"It is a very gentle hill up which the planes would take off rather than a flat surface. It's what happens at very many airports around the world."

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Third Heathrow airport runway 'could be built over M25'

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