A new independent aviation regulator should be established to replace the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), according to local authorities opposed to the proposed expansion of Heathrow.

The councils - Hounslow, Hillingdon, Richmond, Wandsworth and Windsor and Maidenhead - are all members of the 2M Group and made the call in a response to a Department for Transport (DfT) consultation. It is feared that the CAA would be handed the key role in deciding whether environmental conditions for the proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport had been met, under current government plans.

Each of the councils believe that future airspace decisions affecting such a large amount of people should not be left in the hands of an unaccountable organisation, with no right of appeal to CAA decisions currently available. Speaking on the behalf of all councils, Wandsworth Council leader Edward Lister said: "Our experience as local authorities over the last 20 years concerned with the environmental impact of Heathrow's operations is that no one agency is holding either the DfT or the aviation industry to account.

"The answer now is to set up a truly independent body which can act as a champion for consumer and environmental interests alongside its traditional safety and licensing roles." The DfT's consultation on plans to update the regulatory framework for UK aviation is due to close on 11 March. The 2M Group is an alliance of local authorities concerned about the environmental impact of Heathrow expansion plans.