PEOPLE in North Yorkshire are being offered advice on things they can do to make the air cleaner and healthier.

North Yorkshire County Council has identified priorities for including air quality in the county and ahead of National Clean Air Day on June 15 is urging people to help avoid and reduce air pollution.

Five junctions in North Yorkshire have been declared air quality management areas. At each of these, the council is working with district councils and local people to find solutions specific to each site. This may include encouraging people to change how they travel, but will also look at how changes to the junction or traffic management could help to reduce pollution. They include allocating £300,000 to make changes to the Bond End junction in Knaresborough.

Rachel Richards, consultant in public health for the county council, said: “We are fortunate in North Yorkshire that overall our air quality is good. However, there are some hotspots within the county where more needs to be done to reduce the levels of air pollution.”

Actions to reduce and avoid air pollution include:

• Walking, cycling or using public transport whenever possible.

• Discover side streets: using quieter streets when on bike or on foot can lower exposure to air pollution by 20 per cent.

• Walk on the inside of the pavement rather than close to the kerb to stay as far away as possible from exhaust fumes.

• Switch off your car engine whenever you’re not moving and it’s safe to do so.

• If you upgrade your car, consider an electric or LPG model (to save on road tax, too). If you buy a petrol or diesel car, ask about the least polluting model, as they vary enormously.

Find out more about National Clean Air Day online at; cleanairday.org.uk and on Twitter at @nyorkshealth and the hashtag #NationalCleanAirDay.