DRIVERS stuck in traffic jams in Lyndhurst are being urged to switch off their engines in a bid to improve air quality.

Banners emblazoned with the message “Stop the pollution, here’s a solution” are being unveiled in

the village.

The hard-hitting message is aimed at motorists trapped in long queues at the junction of High Street and Romsey Road.

Tall buildings near the busy junction are said to create a tunnel effect, trapping the fumes belching from the exhausts of stationary vehicles.

Lyndhurst is one of Hampshire’s biggest bottlenecks during the tourist season, with queues often stretching for several miles on weekends and bank holidays.

Tailbacks have been known to extend as far north as the Cadnam roundabout as thousands of families wait to enter the Forest.

New Forest District Council (NFDC) has worked with Hampshire County Council (HCC) and teachers and pupils at Hounsdown School in Totton to develop the new banners.

Lyndhurst has been an air quality management area since 2005.

Rachel Higgins, NFDC’s environmental protection team manager, said: “While improvements in pollution levels have been made we want to encourage visitors and the local community to do their bit and turn off their engines whilst waiting in stationary traffic.”

The two councils have already asked school bus drivers to turn off their engines when collecting pupils.