A DEAL has been struck which should lead to a substantial reduction in lorry traffic on some of North Yorkshire's busiest routes.

The county council has given the go-ahead to allow a local company, Plasmor, to use rail sidings at Great Heck, near Selby, for importing limestone from the Yorkshire Dales.

At present, raw materials used by the company, which makes building block products, are transported by road. The decision should take more than 5,000 lorry movements off local roads.

Plasmor will bring in up to 70 train-loads of crushed stone a year.

After consultation with residents, the council has agreed to impose strict controls on noise and dust levels to ensure that any impact is kept to a minimum.

Greater use of rail links to transport freight, taking it off the roads, is strongly encouraged in both local and national planning policies.

The county's executive member for environmental services, Councillor Peter Sowray, said: "We are delighted that this decision has been taken.

"This is an excellent initiative which we hope other companies will follow. Clearly, to reduce the number of lorry journeys on our roads will be of significant benefit to North Yorkshire's environment."