Wiltshire Council has blasted plans by B&NES Council to extend the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to include Cleveland Bridge.

The bridge is already covered by the CAZ, but new proposals would stop HGVs over twelve tonnes from passing over the listed bridge.

Leader of Wiltshire Council, Richard Clewer, said the authority was not consulted on the plans and that many other options could have been explored to deal with the air quality issue.

“I will not condone any proposal which simply shunts polluting vehicles away from Bath on to Wiltshire’s roads and has an adverse effect on communities and residents in West Wiltshire,” Cllr Clewer added.

“I can confirm that Wiltshire Council will formally oppose any proposal that (to summarise Defra’s guidance) ‘…results in the displacement of the most polluting vehicles…to surrounding areas’.”

Leader of B&NES Council, Kevin Guy, said the authority remained open to working with its neighbours: “After you accepted our invitation to the Guildhall in Bath this year to discuss transport, you said you would reciprocate, but I have not yet received any return invitation from you or your Chief Executive.”