DEVELOPERS should not build a second runway at Gatwick because it might upset an ancient God, according to a novelist.

Keith Hagenbach from Forest Row believes the airport is linked to the goat-like creature Pan and that laying down tarmac may cause chaos.

In a way to alleviate the damage should Sussex get a second runway, he advised the powers that be to dedicate an area to ancient stones as to not feel the wrath of the fabled creations.

The author said: “The God Pan is very closely connected to Gatwick because in etymological terms, Gat is also connected to the word goat – they have the same root.

“And if you’re familiar with Pan at all, the depictions of Pan are a being with hooves and horns and a little beard, so he is actually quite goat-like.

“We’re not talking about a little being playing the pan pipes which I’m not very fond of myself, appearing and causing chaos.

“We’re talking in symbolic terms."

He added:“What Pan represents is a respect for the sacredness of the earth.

“So it’s much more about “are we working in harmony with natural forces?”.

“Are we respecting those, or are we using it as a resource and we can do anything we like to it?".

Debate rumbles on as to whether it will be Gatwick or Heathrow that gets the second runway, but Mr Hagenbach has warned those making the decision later this year that picking the Sussex airport will come with consequences.

The author of The Man Who Drew Triangles: Magician, mystic, or out of his mind, said: “Just think what happened when the volcanoes in Iceland erupted and the affect that had.

“These are natural forces and look at the chaos they can create when they’re unleashed.

“Why would one thing happen at the same time that something else happens?

“It depends whether the people at Gatwick – the forces that will be carrying out the work and making the decision – whether they demonstrated a respect for the resource that they’re using.

“What they could do is create an area within the development which is devoted to the natural forces.

“They could plant trees, they could place sacred stones there, all sorts of things to demonstrate they are seeking things, to engage with, to work with natural forces rather than simply over-riding it.”