ACTION to tackle air pollution in a market town will come too late, councillors have heard.

Hambleton District Council’s cabinet has approved an Air Quality Action Plan to tackle high levels of nitrogen dioxide on Bridge Street in Bedale, ahead of a public consultation on the scheme.

The monitoring demonstrated that the area exceeding the Government air quality objective was confined to the White Bear Hotel junction.

The meeting was told since the pollution levels triggered the mandatory environmental action, the main cause of the poor air quality had been tackled with the opening of the Bedale, Aiskew and Leeming Bar bypass.

Bedale councillor John Noone said: “The bypass has been a game-changer, leading to a massive amount less traffic going through these communities. It really was terrible, there was always people queuing on Bridge Street. It’s much better than that now and I think we’ll find the air quality is as good if not better there than anywhere else in Hambleton.”