More than 3,000 protesters marched around Heathrow airport yesterday, campaigning against the proposed third runway.

Holding placards that read "No To Third Runway", and "Get Real With Climate Change" and "Planet Before Profit", the protesters began their one and a half mile journey from Hatton Cross underground station to the leafy village of Sipson, which will be demolished in order to make way for the third runway.

Once in Sipson the protesters gathered at the recreational grounds to form a gigantic NO so that helicopters and aerial photographers on cherry pickers could take pictures of the formation.

The protesters who came from all over Britain, and also from France and Greece, jeered and screamed each time a plane flew overhead coming down to land at a runway. The demonstrators mostly marched peacefully, some playing loud music and dancing along in a carnival atmosphere.

Rowan Williams, the Archbishop Of Canterbury, who has voiced his opposition to the third runway, sent a message to the protesters which was read out by one of his envoys.

In the message, Williams said: "We are concerned about the effects this will have on the local environment that is already struggling to cope with increasing traffic." Williams added that the protesters must say "no" to the third runway but "yes" to "sustainable living" where they care for each others neighbours.

Although Boris Johnson, the new mayor of London, could not be at the demonstration because he was on holiday in Turkey, he sent deputy mayor Riichard Barnes to represent him.

Barnes said: "As deputy mayor and also a resident of Hillingdon [the Borough within which Heathrow lies], when they wanted a terminal five, they told us there would be no third runway. They have constantly been lying to us and they held a consultation in which they told us stuff from their imagination. But we are not going away, this is our home, this is where we live and we will defend it. I am convinced we are on the verge of a major victory, we have cross party support from all politicians and so let's keep up the pressure."

Vince Cable, the Lib Dems Treasury spokesman, marched with the protesters, himself waving a placard that said "No To Third Runway". Cable said: "Our Party has always been opposed to the third runway. I think things have changed and the proposal for the third runway now has many hurdles to cross."

Gurgan Fricke, 65, a retired city financier, was marching with his wife Kate, 61, a former teacher. The couple were from Richmond, west London, which they say is under the Heathrow flight path. The couple said that even under the existing conditions they are usually woken up at 4am in the morning by flights either leaving or arriving at Heathrow Airport.

Gurgan Fricke said: "I think it's stupid to have an airport so close to London. This is not the case in any other major city like Paris or even Frankfurt.

"We are concerned that the new runway will increase the traffic and the noise problem."

Kate Fricke said: "I am concerned about the environmental consequences of more flying. We both used to fly but we don't fly so much now. I don't think there should be a third runway."

David Nicholson, 43, from Putney in West London, is an underwriter in the City of London. He said that even in Putney residents are bothered by the noise from air traffic. "I don't think they should build another runway so that transit passengers can land at Heathrow and have a cup of coffee in London. This does not make sense. They should build a runway somewhere else in the country."

Tracy Howard, 37, from the village of Sipson, was marching with her 14-year-old son and her eight year-old-daughter. She said that if the plans go ahead, her house will be bought under a compulsive purchasing order and she will have to live somewhere else. She said she does not want to move from Sipson as she has been living there for the past 11 years.

"If the runway goes ahead, I'll be the last person to leave as I won't go without a fight. I don't want to move from this village and go and live in somewhere like London with all the knife stabbing, etc. My two children go to school, in this area and we don't want to live anywhere else," she said.

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