Businesses and residents hope the proposed expansion of Stansted Airport will bring extra jobs and trade to the Braintree area.

London mayor Boris Johnson has announced a new study will investigate whether the Essex airport could handle four runways.

Mr Johnson is known to favour a “super airport” in the Thames Estuary to boost the region’s air capacity, but it is now believed he considers the expansion of Stansted into a four-runway hub to be a realistic alternative.

Full story in today's Times.