CAMPAIGNERS are calling on councillors to 'say yes to clean air' - by opposing the expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport.

The airport is waiting to see if Leeds City Council will give the go-ahead for its £150 million replacement terminal scheme.

The move would allow the airport to increase its flights and accommodate passenger numbers of up to seven million per year over the next decade.

Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) says the development is crucial to its, and the region's, prosperity but environmental groups insist that the resulting increase in greenhouse gas emissions would be unacceptable.

Now, with National Clean Air Day taking place on Thursday, October 8, the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) is urging the councillors who will take the decision to reject the terminal scheme.

GALBA Chair Chris Foren said: "Everyone wants the air we breathe to be as clean as possible. We want our kids to be safe from illnesses like asthma.

"And we have a great opportunity to protect the quality of our air here in Leeds.

"We’re asking the councillors on Leeds City Plans Panel to say yes to clean air - and no to airport expansion.”

"It’s not just the increase in dangerous particles from thousands of more flights a year that would damage our air if LBA is allowed to expand.

"It’s also the tens of thousands of extra car journeys to the airport, pumping out more pollution onto our streets.

"We all depend on the same climate and we all need clean air - so we all need to make healthy choices.

"We simply can’t allow LBA to expand and cause more damage to our air and our climate."

GALBA claims the airport's expansion would mean between 15,000 and 20,000 more flights every year along with 'tens of thousands' more car journeys to the airport.

It also points out that air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK each year, and that nearly five per cent of all adult deaths in Leeds are connected to exposure to air pollution.

A number of MPs, including Alex Sobel (Lab, Leeds North West), have expressed concerns about the plan while many local town and parish councils, including those in Horsforth, Menston, Burley, Rawdon, Otley and Bramhope have also lodged objections.

More than 1,800 objections were lodged against the planning application in total - but there were also 1,274 letters of support.

Those supporting the expansion include Dutch airline KLM, West and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and transport companies Yutong Bus and Transdev.