LONDON (AP) -- Hundreds of demonstrators opposed to government plans to expand London's Stansted airport staged a protest picnic on Sunday.

The ``Stop Stansted Expansion'' group claims that noise pollution and congestion will spoil the lives of thousands of people if three extra runways are built at the airport north of London.

``People are here because they are extremely angry and very concerned about their quality of life,'' said Norman Mead, chairman of the campaign.

In July, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said Britain needs to address huge growth in air travel or it would lose jobs and prosperity to European rivals.

A consultant report released by the government suggested as many as three new runways at Stansted, new airports in both central and western England and new runways at the Glasgow and Edinburgh airports in Scotland. The government is considering building a third runway at Heathrow Airport and a new four-runway airport in Kent, just outside London, in an effort to boost tight air capacity in Britain, according to the report.

The Stansted campaigners claim that up to 1 million people will be affected by noise and 70 villages and towns within 15 miles of the airport will suffer from increased noise pollution.