Hounslow Council wants a better, not necessarily a bigger, Heathrow Airport, leader Cllr Steve Curran has said.

He was responding to this week's Supreme Court ruling which overturned a ban on a third runway.

The ruling means Heathrow can now seek planning permission for the project, although it still has a number of hurdles to jump and the government will have the final say on whether it gets the go-ahead or not.

Anti-third runway campaigners believe it will mean more aircraft over areas such as Brentford.

Cllr Curran said: "Hounslow Council has long-held that we want the airport to be successful, as it plays such an important role in the economic lives of our residents, and our status as the gateway borough to London.

"That is even more important as we come to terms with the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 and its devastating effects on Aviation Communities, where locally we face a £4 billion hit to our Hounslow economy with 40,000 jobs at risk.

"We have said before, we want to see a Heathrow which is better, not bigger so we hope that the government and Heathrow Airport can find a solution that protects our environment and allows the airport to flourish.

"As a council we are committed to our Climate Emergency pledge, to delivering our recovery plan through a Green Economic recovery for aviation communities, and to working with Heathrow in its ambitions to improve while ensuring the best outcomes for local residents and businesses."