Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic airline has called for a second runway at Gatwick to cope with expansion at the airport.

Virgin is set to create 1,700 new jobs at Gatwick and Heathrow during the next year as part of an expansion plan.

The company has told West Sussex County Council: "We intend to expand our operations in line with demand at Gatwick in the future which will help to counteract the loss of jobs expected to come from British Airways' change of strategy.

"These plans can only come to fruition if the council supports the efficient use of existing airport capacity at Gatwick.

"Virgin Atlantic also urges the council to support the provision of new capacity at Gatwick, including a second runway, provided that the new capacity meets environmental guidelines, in order for them to contribute to growing the West Sussex local economy."

The plea comes in a response from his company to West Sussex County Council's new economic strategy and action plan.

But the call for a second runway is unlikely to alter the council's strategy of keeping Gatwick as a single runway airport.

A legally binding agreement negotiated in 1979 between the county council and the British Airports Authority banned a second runway being built for 40 years.

The agreement is not due to expire until 2019 and a report to councillors about the Virgin comments also makes it clear that the agreement will stay in force.

Virgin's expansion announcement last December came as British Airways revealed that it was shedding 1,000 Gatwick jobs through voluntary redundancies as part of its new strategy.