OXFORDSHIRE’S local authorities should work together more to help tackle the city’s unique air pollution problems, it has been claimed.

It has emerged that Oxford has consistently failed to meet its target for reducing nitrogen dioxide, which is caused by diesel vehicles.

Oxford City Council, which is responsible for monitoring pollution, says measurements in the city centre have failed, since 2005, to go below the target of 40ug/m3 – or micrograms per cubic metre of air.

In 2009 measurements in the city centre were 50ug/m3 and in 2011, the last year for which figures are available, it had climbed to 61ug/m3.

But the city council has said Oxford has met all its targets for other pollutants such as carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide.

Green city councillor Elise Benjamin said: “I’m not surprised the city has failed to meet its target.

“Because Oxford is effectively in a bowl we get air pollution hanging here, so for that reason we have to take extra measures.

“Both the city council and Oxfordshire County Council have to work together by being more proactive in getting people out of their cars.”

She suggested a park and ride system for deliveries coming into Oxford and more work to get people to leave their cars behind when going to work or school.

One of the areas where there is concern about pollution is at the Wolvercote roundabout.

When the last detailed assessment was carried out in 2008 there were three sites near the Wolvercote and Cutteslowe roundabouts which exceeded the Government-set target for nitrogen dioxide, and another one which was close to exceeding it.

John Bleach, chairman of the Wolvercote Neighbourhood Forum, said: “What we are concerned about is the build-up of traffic due to the developments in the area.

“If that roundabout is congested people will take a shortcut through the village, which will bring huge amounts of traffic near the school and there will be a pollution hotspot there.”

Another area of the city where there are worries about the levels of pollution is the Green Road roundabout.

The last time the area was monitored in 2011 the annual mean level of nitrogen dioxide was at 43ug/m3.

Harold White Close resident Yvonne Lowe, who is chairman of the Risinghurst and Sandhill parish council, said: “I have lived here for 25 years and I believe there is an awful lot of pollution, especially at these big roundabouts where cars are made to wait at the lights.

“The Barton West development could quite easily make it worse.”

Ms Lowe said she had developed asthma since living in Risinghurst.

City council spokesman Louisa Dean said pollution was measured in central Oxford so a picture could be drawn up of levels in some of the worst-affected streets.

She said: “The city council has a limited budget to carry out pollution monitoring.

“It is not possible to carry out monitoring continuously, year on year, at every site where there are levels of nitrogen dioxide that may be above the accepted levels.

“The problems we face are not exclusive to Oxford, and are reflected in any urban location subject to significant sources of road traffic.

“The main reasons why urban air pollution is not decreasing as previously predicted is that there is a greater preponderance of diesel vehicles on the roads, and these diesel vehicles emit higher levels of nitrogen dioxide as a direct emission into the urban air.”

She added that the city and county councils had been working together in recent years to lower pollution levels in central Oxford, implementing measures such as the pedestrianisation of Cornmarket Street and the removal of bus stops from Queen Street.