STRICT rules on emissions from buses are at the centre of a new plan to save lives in York.

A newly-published draft “Air Quality Action Plan” says that as many as 160 people die each year because of poor air quality in the city, and puts an ambitious overhaul of bus transport at the heart of plans to beat the problem.

The new plan says buses have a disproportionately high effect on air quality, and proposed measuring how often individual services enter the inner ring road and forcing the most frequent and therefore most polluting routes to use low emission buses.

Through the use of a Clear Air Zone, 80 per cent of bus services in York should be ultra-low emission vehicles by 2018.

The draft action plan also cites Government figures which say 4.8 percent of all deaths in York can be blamed on man-made air pollution, just under the national average of 5.1 percent.

A report by principal environmental protection officer Liz Bates, which is due to go to the next economic scrutiny and city development, says: “Poor air quality puts the health of York’s residents at risk, creates an unpleasant environment for visitors and may damage historic buildings. The health impacts of poor air quality place additional financial burdens on the local health service.”

According to the report, air quality in the city has been deteriorating since a previous action plan was set out in 2006, and three blackspots are the inner ring-road, Leeman Road and Salisbury Terrace, and the A19 in Fulford.

And although there has been a slight reduction in harmful NO2 levels - from diesel engines on buses, taxis and lorries - since 2010 it is too early to tell if the trend will continue long term.

Other ideas to drive down the amount of NO2 in the air include a network of electric charging points to help people switch from diesel to electric cars, and a bid to help the council “lead by example” by cutting down emission from its own vehicles.