Details of the possible ways of keeping heavy lorries out of Chipping Norton town centre, and cutting pollution, have been published.

The county council's cabinet has approved a preliminary review of options which transport planning officers are to investigate in detail.

They include: imposing a weight limit on the A44 into the town; changing the status of the A44 as a major traffic route; investigating whether introducing a low emission zone in the town would make enforcing restrictions easier; considering the case for seeking regional support for a more significant scheme to alleviate lorry traffic.

Ian Hudspeth, the council's cabinet member for transport, said: "Chipping Norton is like many market towns elsewhere in Oxfordshire. It was never built to cope with the amount of traffic now on its roads.

"We are considering ways of alleviating traffic congestion while at the same time improving air quality. These are issues in all market towns, and Chipping Norton is in the same boat as many others. We need to think about ways to improve the situation."

Horsefair in Chipping Norton town centre has, according to recent monitoring, the worst air quality of anywhere in west Oxfordshire.

The town council has for years been calling for action to steer heavy lorries away from the town.