AIR quality in York has blown into the city’s election battle as Green Party campaigners staged a masked call for action to cut pollution.

Candidates standing for the party in next month’s poll to decide who controls City of York Council donned mouthguards in Nunnery Lane in an attempt to focus attention on what they claim are “damaging” air standards in the city.

The party claims more needs to be done to create a low emission zone and encourage a greater number of residents to leave their cars at home, saying the next stage of York’s Local Transport Plan is failing to address the situation.

Last year, figures showed poor air quality is linked to 158 premature deaths annually in York, and Green leader Andy D’Agorne, who is standing for re-election in the Fishergate ward, said: “Work on developing a low emission zone and promoting alternatives to the car is not moving fast enough to address the serious health problems for residents in places like Nunnery Lane and Fulford Road.

“It is unacceptable for the council to produce a five-year Local Transport Plan in which current air pollution levels barely change.”

Andy Chase, Green candidate for the Micklegate ward, said traffic fumes were a major factor in the number of air quality-related deaths, adding: “Better, cheaper transport and safe, attractive walking and cycling routes are a key priority for us.

“Electric cars may help in the future, but we want to cut traffic and road danger as well as emissions.”

The Greens are backing moves to give councils more control over bus services and a “cross-ticketing” approach which they say would allow early morning, evening and weekend services to be funded from more profitable routes.

“With fuel prices set to rise in coming years, we need clean and efficient green-fuelled buses,” said Mr D’Agorne.

“To be a modern, sustainable city, York needs to develop modern public transport systems and attractive public spaces which aren’t dominated by parked cars.”

The party also wants real-time information from air quality monitoring stations in Bootham and Fishergate to be linked to radio traffic reports and displayed on the Outer Ring Road’s electronic parking signs, with the aim being to encourage motorists not to use their car when pollution levels rise.