CLEANING up extra carbon emissions due to the Southampton Airport runway expansion will cost tax-payers over £700m, according to a new study.

Expansions at Southampton Airport will reportedly cost ‘society and the tax-payer’ a total of £742m

The study was done by Research by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) and based on figures from the Department for Transport.

It also showed that the cost of emissions from departing flights at the airport in Eastleigh will cost £954m between 2025 and 2050.

It comes as the foundation revealed that between 2025 and 2050, the eight active airport expansions across the country are estimated to come with an emissions price tag of £76bn.

Despite this though, just £11.8bn is likely to be paid for by the aviation industry with the remainder set to be paid for by “the rest of society”.

As previously reported, a judicial review is due to take place in April into the plans for Southampton Airport’s runway extension which was green lit by Eastleigh Borough Council last year.

Now, John Lauwerys of GOESA Ltd, the company behind the judicial review, has branded the new figures as “shocking” adding that it is “tragic that these more accurate estimates were not available when Eastleigh Borough Council took its ill-judged decision to permit an expansion of the airport which aims to attract 50% more passengers by 2033”.

“The additional estimated cost of £742million for the clean-up, more than three quarters of which will have to met by the taxpayer, means the Government must put a halt to airport growth at Southampton and elsewhere in the country.

“And that is without considering the impact of additional aircraft noise on 46,000 people living close to the airport which has been largely ignored.”

He added that the company is “confident” that the legal challenge will be upheld.

A spokesperson for the NEF said: “In Southampton Airport’s case, the airport themselves, in their planning application, never made any estimate of the monetary costs associated with emissions from their proposed expansion.

“If they were following best practice according to the Department for Transport then they would have done.”

The Echo approached Southampton Airport for comment on the figures but was told the Airport did not have a comment.