COUNTY councillors are lobbying residents on Wallingford Bridge in a bid to prevent the route from being closed in a trial to improve air quality.

Representative for Wallingford Lynda Atkins and Benson and Cholsey Mark Gray met residents on the bridge on Friday and will do the same on Saturday and as they campaign for it to remain open to traffic.

South Oxfordshire District Council has put forward a low emissions strategy, including the option of preventing some traffic from using Wallingford Bridge, in a bid to improve air quality around the Lamb crossroads.

The county councillors are concerned the closure would hit trade in Wallingford and Crowmarsh Gifford and are asking residents to back their opposition to the trial closure.

Ms Atkins said: "A lot of people are massively opposed to the idea of Wallingford Bridge being closed to traffic.

"SODC has been considering a six-week trial but I think closing the bridge will cause mayhem, even if it is for just a few hours a day on a trial basis.

"If you close the bridge at certain times of day it will cause confusion for drivers,

"Mums in Crowmarsh taking their kids to school in Wallingford could end up stuck in traffic and not get through in time and would end up having to try to turn around.

"It's a disaster waiting to happen and we are urging SODC to conduct proper traffic studies at Wallingford Bridge, Shillingford Bridge and the new bridge at Winterbrook.

"There is a problem with air quality in the High Street but this is not the right way to go about tackling it."

Mr Gray said the trial would be like using 'a sledgehammer to crack a nut'.

He added: "The closure will make it more difficult for people to get into Wallingford and that could damage retail trade.

"One solution could be to put a sign up asking drivers to switch off their engines while they are waiting at the lights."

SODC's cabinet member for environmental health Tony Harbour said: "Some residents have been calling for an improvement in air quality at this location for years.

"If we closed the bridge from 8am to 10am and from 4pm to 6pm it shouldn't affect shoppers anyway.

"If Wallingford became a ghost town because no-one was coming in we would stop the trial immediately."

A report on the issue is expected to be discussed by the council's cabinet next month.

In October Sustainable Wallingford spokeswoman Sue Roberts said consultation on air quality issues had gone on for 'too long'.

She recommended a six-week trial closure of the bridge should include the rush-hours because that generated the most congestion.

A report to SODC by consultants Ricardo Energy and Environment in 2015 concluded air pollution levels in Wallingford were 25 per cent above EU air quality limit values.

The report said access to the bridge could be banned at certain times of day to all traffic except buses, electric cars, or hybrid cars.

Air quality levels at the crossroads break UK and European standards, and SODC wants to cut nitrogen dioxide levels.

The section of the town near the bridge, around High Street, St Mary’s Street and Castle Street, was labelled an air quality management area in 2005.