WILTSHIRE Council says it has “no current plans” to establish a Clean Air Zone in Westbury to stop heavy goods vehicles exhaust fumes from polluting the town’s air.

The council’s leader Cllr Richard Clewer says highways officials are instead monitoring transport impacts on the A350 through Westbury.

The move follows Bath and North East Somerset Council’s decision to ban HGVs from entering the Clean Air Zone in Bath and its 18-tonne weight restriction on the historic Cleveland Bridge.

Cllr Clewer said: “There are no current plans to establish a Clean Air Zone in Westbury.

“We are monitoring transport impacts on the A350 and await the results of National Highways' north-south connectivity study which looks at all major and strategic routes that provide connectivity from the M4 corridor to the south coast, including the A350 (Westbury) and the A36 (Bath past Warminster and through Salisbury).

“Once we know the outcome of the National Highways study we can establish the best way forward for the whole A350 – while working with the Department for Transport and National Highways.

“In the meantime, we continue to call on Bath and North East Somerset Council to have meaningful discussions about the impact of their Clean Air Zone and to stop the closure of the A36 to lorries, especially those with modern Euro 6 engines.”

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: A HGV negotiates the A350 through Westbury. Photo: Trevor Porter 67260-4A HGV negotiates the A350 through Westbury. Photo: Trevor Porter 67260-4 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Cllr Clewer says HGV traffic travelling along the A350 through Westbury has increased by at least 20 per cent following decisions to reduce Bath's air pollution and protect the historic Cleveland Bridge.

Evidence collected by Wiltshire Council since last year showed the number of HGVs travelling through Westbury had increased by at least 20 per cent since the Cleveland Bridge was closed to heavy traffic.

"We're seeing lorries rumbling within a metre of people's front doors in Westbury. We have got empirical data that says 200 more lorries a day are coming through."

Town councillors in Westbury last year asked Wiltshire Council to help prepare multi-million-pound plans for a new A350 western bypass of the town.

They are pursuing the option of a western bypass route for the A350 through Westbury linking to the West Wilts Trading Estate and the A36 at Standerwick.

A Westbury Town Council spokesperson said last June: “Westbury Town Council has been discussing options to help alleviate traffic problems within our town for a number of years.

“As the town has grown, so has the amount of traffic travelling along the A350 on a daily basis, and this has been further impacted by such factors as the closure of Cleveland Bridge and the Bath Clean Air Zone.

“We believe that the best solution for Westbury is also the best solution for the whole of West Wiltshire – a bypass with direct access into the West Wilts Trading Estate.”

Bath and North East Somerset Council brought in the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to reduce air pollution in the city from vehicle exhaust fumes.

A ban on heavy lorries is now in place and it is claimed that more HGVs are being pushed onto the A350 through Westbury instead in a bid to reach the south coast.

Bath’s historic Cleveland Bridge, originally built for pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages, was carrying more than 17,000 vehicles a day - including HGVs.

But Bath & North East Somerset Council imposed an18-tonne weight limit last year after "significant" corrosion was found and the bridge was closed for repairs to be made.

Although the bridge has now reopened to pedestrians, cyclists and light vehicle traffic, all the political parties in Bath and North East Somerset Council support keeping the ban in place.