RYEDALE should be discouraging traffic into its area, especially the towns, to improve air quality, members of the district council's community services and licensing committee were told.

Coun Linda Cowling said it was vital that action was taken to get heavy vehicles out of Malton town centre. "You can smell and taste pollution," she said.

Coun Nellie Trevelyan said the council's policies encouraged an increase in traffic to the area, which brought about air pollution, especially in confined spaces. She said the council had to look at its tourism policies which aimed to attract more people to Ryedale, and they were likely to travel by car.

The committee was discussing a report it commissioned from consultants which revealed that Malton's Butcher Corner crossroads was the worst spot for air pollution in the region. Steven Richmond, Ryedale's environmental health manager, said pollution levels were so high that the busy bottleneck would not meet European Union standards for levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulates, due to come into effect by 2010.

He said the problem was worst where buildings were high and there was a lack of ventilation, such as Butcher Corner crossroads.

"There is no way Malton town centre will qualify, and neither will other towns, probably," said Mr Richmond. But, he added, only a few yards from Butcher Corner, the air quality was much better.

He said the air quality was measured in all Ryedale's towns.

"The council cannot afford to be complacent with regard to road traffic pollution and should continue to work with the Highways Agency and North Yorkshire County Council to secure road improvements and measures to minimise the traffic in the town centres."

Findings had shown that it was important to get heavy trucks out of Malton.

The report said RDC should commission a detailed survey of queuing and congestion throughout the day at Butcher Corner and along Castlegate to the level crossing at Norton to assess the air quality problem. The committee agreed to put the report out for consultation to agencies and organisations including DEFRA, the Government's environment and rural affairs department.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said: "We are reviewing all our traffic strategies for all the market towns, Malton included. Any research like this that we have available will be taken into consideration."

Updated: 14:28 Wednesday, June 09, 2004