Swampy and the second runway: 20 years since the battle which transformed Manchester Airport
They built tunnels and lived in tree houses during a six-month campaign to thwart the £172m project
Updated
Daniel Hooper, aka Swampy, protesting at plans to build Runway 2 in 1997 (Image: MEN)
This time 20 years ago Manchester Airport had just opened its second runway at a cost of £172m, heralding what was trumpeted as a bright new era for aviation and a jobs bonanza fuelled by no-frills budget airlines.
Civic leaders hailed it as an important milestone for a city with ambitions to become an international player.
Two miles of concrete carpet unfurled onto rolling Cheshire countryside, it came at a cost that was environmental as well as financial.