A FORMER councillor has berated civic chiefs for what he sees as they're "counter-productive" approach to reducing pollution in Winchester.

Speaking to councillors at a Winchester City Council Health and Environment Policy Committee Meeting on September 19, Ian Tait fumed at the lack of EV charging points for taxis, which he claimed are contributing heavily to bad air in the city.

He also pointed to the lack of availability of a strategy document outlining the council's approach to pollution.

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Romsey Road is Winchester's most polluted area (Image: Google) Mr Tait said: "How can this authority be committed to switching to an environmentally friendly policy without this core policy document? It’s counter-productive.

"I don’t want to be mean here but I feel that the council is following rather than leading, and that is very regrettable. As a pedestrian, I breathe in all the fumes on Romsey Road – they’re in my lungs."

He added: "Although there has been a significant increase in EV charging points, none of them cater exclusively for taxis. If we were to replicate the national average [percentage], there should be at least 20 electric taxis in Winchester. There is just one."

Later in the meeting, council officers described Romsey Road as a "fly in the ointment" for pollution in Winchester, as it is the only remaining area in the city to have high levels of NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) particles.

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Across four different measuring stations on the central artery into town, levels of the pollutant were consistently high, presumably due to the continuous traffic along the highway.

PM2.5 particles, which can be caused by car brake and tyre wear as well as wood-burning stoves and waste incineration, are also an issue, and the government is ramping up measures to tackle them.

This form of pollution has been linked to a variety of diseases, from cardiac issues to dementia.