CAMPAIGNERS donned surgical masks as they 'stopped the traffic' in Chipping Norton to raise awareness of air pollution.

Residents and councillors teamed up to march through the town centre on Friday in a bid to gain more signatures on their 'Cut Air Pollution' petition.

The campaign, initiated by Labour and newly elected independent councillors, calls on Oxfordshire County Council to 'safeguard the health of residents' and has amassed about 500 names.

Protesters marched across the road several times but still received widespread support from shoppers and drivers, according to organiser, Gordon Brown.

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Horsefair, in the town centre, is one of two Air Quality Management Areas in West Oxfordshire. An air quality action plan has been in place since 2008.

The Chipping Norton and District Labour Party launched its campaign to cut air pollution in June, with the town declaring a climate emergency earlier this month.

Campaigners will now lobby county council leader, Ian Hudspeth, when he attends a town council meeting on August 19.