Councillors and residents in Crawley have formed a pressure group to will fight proposals for any runway expansion at Gatwick airport.

The One is Enough group will dovetail with organisations such as the Gatwick Area Conservation Committee and the Horley Anti-Runway Committee.

Co-founder Councillor Jim Smith said: "Until now there has not been a group with a specific voice just for the people of Crawley.

"We are the nearest large town to the airport and it is my ward which will be worst hit if a new runway was built."

Although Coun Smith's ward of Langley Green and neighbouring Ifield and Northgate are closest to the airport, they are also home to many of the 7,500 people who make up the 24 per cent of locals working at Gatwick.

Coun Smith said: "We need to test the water to see what the public opinion is. We have joined the fray a little later than the other pressure groups but we are nonetheless committed. We do not need another runway at Gatwick."

The group is concerned about possible flooding if a concrete runway displaced water to an area which is already a flood risk and has fears about the high levels of asthma in Crawley school children.

Coun Smith said: "We can't say with our hands on heart our children's breathing problems are caused by air pollution but it has to be a contributing factor."

His wife Brenda, also a Labour councillor, and Councillor Bob Lazer are acting as joint chairs of the One is Enough group.

There are four Labour councillors, four Conservatives and two Liberal Democrats already signed up to campaign against airport expansion and public interest is growing.

The group will be holding its first full public meetings soon.

Crawley residents will have the chance to view the South-East Regional Airport Survey proposals for Gatwick at two major exhibitions in May.

One will be held at the Gatwick Hilton Hotel on Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3 and the second at Crawley's Arora International Hotel on Saturday, May 31.

Trade unions will lead a pro-runway march through the centre of Crawley on May 31, led by Bob Fromant, the engineering union branch president.

Mr Fromant addressed a public meeting in nearby Salfords last week to put the case for runway expansion and had to cut his speech short after being shouted down by furious residents.

The One is Enough group will be displaying its information in Queen Square in Crawley, near the band stand, on Saturday, May 3 between 10am and 4pm.

It has a web site at one senough2003@hotmail.com and a dedicated phone line on 01293 451900.