New signage on a busy Swindon road aim to reduce pollution levels in the area.

Swindon Borough Council has set up digital signs at either end of Kingshill Road which encourage motorists to travel along the route on foot or by bike.

More pedestrians and pedal power will help cut down the amount of toxic fumes from cars, vans and lorries that fill the air, the council says.

Higher-than-normal levels of nitrogen dioxide were detected around the street in 2018 and led to it being declared an Air Quality Management Area.

The signs have been paid for by a £149,000 grant from DEFRA which will also fund wider engagement campaigns that are aimed at reducing the emissions and harms of major air pollutants.

Councillor Jim Grant, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet member for communities and joint working, said: “Kingshill Road has been an Air Quality Management Area for some years now so I’m really pleased we’re implementing the measures in our action plan to improve air quality for local residents.

“We hope the digital signs will make motorists not only think about their driving style, but consider leaving the car at home and switching to active travel.

"But we still have lots to do, including implanting a Traffic Regulation Order to prevent most HGVs from using Kingshill and establishing an Enhanced Bus Partnership to improve bus priority schemes.”

A ban on lorries using the road is being considered.

Last month, a council meeting heard that police will be asked to intervene if HGV drivers do not respect new proposed rules that could see them banned from a busy route into the town centre.

Automatic number plate recognition is in use in Kingshill already, and that would be used to see if vehicles are breaching the order for the road after it is brought in.

The new signs are a way to "nudge and cajole" lorry drivers to avoid using Kingshill Road.

The narrow road is very steep, causing heavier vehicles to labour and work less efficiently, and the terraced houses which front directly onto the pavement at some parts of the road trap the emissions.

When tested in 2018, the levels of nitrogen dioxide in the area reached 56 microgrammes per cubic metre of air, which is significantly higher than the legal limit of 40.

The figure must be brought below 40 before the air quality management order can be lifted.