Airlines who break noise and pollution agreements could face fines from Gatwick under new laws set to be backed by MPs.

The Civil Aviation Bill was given a second reading in Parliament on Monday.

If made into law it will allow the British Airports Authority (BAA), owner and operator of Gatwick Airport, to monitor airlines' performance and impose fines on companies who break agreements on noise.

Landing fees would be set according the amount of pollution generated by aircraft, giving airlines an incentive to invest in newer, cleaner planes.

Campaigners from the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign welcomed the fines but said the Bill could go further.

The group is calling for changes so that new routes would only be granted if their impact on the environment could be assessed and for the aviation industry to take more responsibility for global warming caused by carbon dioxide emissions.

Peter Barclay, from the campaign, said: "There is an opportunity for climate change to be tackled which could be missed here.

"Airports should record their contribution to climate change. They already compile statistics about the number of passengers travelling on a given day so they could also work out how much pollution is generated."

MP for Crawley Laura Moffatt said: "I am supportive of the Bill. There are some really good measures in there to make sure airlines keep to their agreed noise limits.

"The experience at Gatwick has been that they will fine those making life difficult for people living in the communities around the airport."

Rick Norman, BAA's environmental strategy manager, said: "We welcome the Civil Aviation Bill's principal of promoting sustainable aviation.

"We have already achieved significant improvements in the noise climate around Gatwick over a number of a years."