HIGHWAYS England says it will look to lower emissions produced from two major roads.

It comes after the Radio Drivers Association criticised the national authority for its “lack of action” on tackling pollution on the M27 and M271 that help connect Romsey with the south.

The group said that the two major roads, which border Southampton, will continue to pump massive amounts of dirty air in to the city counteracting any clean air zone implemented by the city council.

Nevertheless, the body has now said that its smart motorway scheme – with work on the M27 due to start later this year – will improve the flow of traffic, which “could have a positive effect on air quality as a result”.

Highways England added: “One of Highways England’s key challenges in delivering our road improvements is the need to accommodate the additional movements of traffic without significantly detriment to air quality.

“We believe no-one should be harmed as a result of emissions from vehicles on our roads and we are committed to improving air quality alongside the roads we manage.

“The M27 Smart Motorway scheme will go in to construction later in the year. This will improve the flow of traffic along the M27, which could have a positive effect on air quality as a result.

“As part of the scheme, we are using ring-fenced funding to enable us to understand the challenges facing us and develop ways to mitigate any potential air quality issues on the M27 scheme.”