THE Royal Borough is to continue the fight against the planned Heathrow expansion.

Councillors at Tuesday's meeting in Maidenhead Town Hall were almost unanimous in their determination to carry on the fight if permission is given to appeal against the rejection by the High Court of a previous attempt.

The Royal Borough has already spent £100,000 on the fight, which saw it team with the London Boroughs of Hillingdon, Richmond, Wandsworth, Hammersmith & Fulham, Greenpeace and the Mayor of London to block third runway plans by going through the courts.

But council leader Simon Dudley said it was logical to continue the fight as the expansion represented a massive pollution that would affect the whole Royal Borough and make a nonsense of its efforts to reduce damaging emissions that threatened the planet.

He said the cost would not be allowed to affect the council's spending on helping those most in need, saying: "We have no choice but to go with this."

The borough could face a further £75,000 bill if permission to appeal is granted.

Support for carrying on came from across the political divide.

Cllr Wisdom Da Costa, who represents Clewer and Dedworth for West Windsor Residents Association said: "Expansion would increase cars, pollution, destroy the biology and diversity of the area while affecting the health and wellbeing of residents.

"We have to stop this bio catastrophe."

Liberal Democrat councillor Simon Werner from the Pinkneys Green ward said it would be bizarre not to continue the fight.

A dissenting voice came from Cllr Geoffrey Hill who represents Oldfield for the Borough First group who said: "I fear the council is fighting a futile crusade. I think we are going to lose."

But Cllr John Bowden, Conservative member for Eton and Castle pointed out that the third runway would lead to 740,000 aircraft landings.

He said Heathrow was already  asking to be allowed to have 25,000 extra landings even before the third runway was constructed as part of the development consent order.