BAA wins Heathrow protest injunction

Airports operator BAA won a court injunction on Monday barring environmental activists from disrupting London's Heathrow airport next week.

BAA, owned by Spanish construction and services group Ferrovial, went to the High Court in London to restrict the actions of campaigners attending a "Climate Action" camp near the airport between Aug. 14 and 21.

The judge, Justice Caroline Swift, said her decision would allow peaceful and lawful protests but barred a named group of individuals from taking disruptive action. She said it was nothing like as wide-ranging as originally sought by BAA, which had focused on four representatives from four different groups.

The camp is being held to demonstrate against climate change and a proposed third runway at Heathrow.

"The purpose of the injunction is to enable the airport to continue to function and to permit those responsible for security at the airport and elsewhere to focus on their prime concern of protecting the public from the risk of terrorist attack," Judge Swift said. She added it would only apply to a limited group of individuals "intent upon disrupting the operation of the airport irrespective of the rights of passengers and others to go about their lawful activities".

The order names Joss Garman and Leo Murray, representing activist group Plane Stupid, one of the organisers of the protest, and another individual, John Stewart.

It also applies to any protester associated with any unlawful activity carried out by Plane Stupid.

Environmental umbrella group Airport Watch had claimed the original injunction would hit millions of its members in its affiliated bodies, which include groups as diverse as Greenpeace, the National Trust and Friends of the Earth.