OXFORD city centre will be declared a Low Emission Zone on Wednesday in an effort to combat pollution.

The move will mean only buses meeting strict European standards will be able to operate in central Oxford.

But the tough restrictions will not apply to lorries, vans or other vehicles.

Local bus firms will be given a 2013 deadline to ensure their fleets comply.

Oxford City Council has decided it would be too costly and difficult to enforce a ban on all “dirty” vehicles in the city, arguing buses and coaches were responsible for about 80 per cent of pollution in Oxford.

Oxfordshire County Council is expected to endorse the city’s plans to create one of the first Low Emission Zones outside London after councillors were told levels of nitrogen dioxide in parts of Oxford city centre now far exceed national air quality standards.

But bus companies last night warned the measures could force them to scrap scores of comparatively new buses – resulting in higher fares for passengers.

John Tanner, the city council’s executive member for a cleaner, greener Oxford, said: “This will lead to an improvement in air quality across Oxford.

“Declaring the city a Low Emission Zone will allow us to set standards and time scales.

“It is about time all the companies with buses going through the city centre pulled their weight. The LEZ will make sure they do.”

Stagecoach managing director Martin Sutton said: “We support efforts to bring about a cleaner city.

“But what is being proposed will entail the early scrapping of a large number of buses. It raises the question why the proposals do not cover other forms of transport. A disproportionate amount of the costs will potentially fall on bus passengers.”

A spokesman for Oxford Bus Company, which already has 42 buses, a third of its fleet, which meet the new standard, said: “We look forward to working with the council to achieve a deliverable LEZ in Oxford city centre.”

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