EXPECT to see 18th century Calne scientist Joseph Priestley - the man who discovered oxygen -bemoaning the state of air quality during a demonstration and petition launch in Calne on Wednesday January 16.

Campaigners from the local Labour Party want to see improvements in air quality and have drawn up plans for striking displays, which include someone dressing up as Priestley, air monitoring by a team in white suits and masks, and clean air masks on the head scupture outside Calne library and on the town's famous bronze pigs.

Calne Labour secretary Tom Morris said: "This is to demand for Wiltshire Council to do something about the ongoing terrible traffic pollution in Calne."

Mr Morris said the town had been plagued with road works and traffic jams, exacerbating the problems of air pollution. Traffic hold-ups will continue this month, when Wessex Water starts work in London Road on December 21, continuing till December 27. The company warns there may be traffic disruption. The campaigners want Wiltshire Council to agree to undertake a traffic analysis.

"The ideal thing would be to get the money together to do a traffic analysis, with what could be done to reduce traffic in Calne," he said.

Wiltshire Council has been monitoring air quality in Calne and latest figures for revealed nitrogen dioxide levels in New Road were still above the recommended level. Data published in Wiltshire Council's 2018 Air Quality Annual Status Report show that both Curzon Street and New Road exceeded the nitrogen dioxide annual mean objective level of 40µg/m in 2016. The level had dropped in both locations by 2017, but it was still too high in New Road.

Mr Morris said air quality presented a health hazard to the residents, particularly the very young and old.

"When you are talking to people in Calne, traffic constantly comes up as a problem," he said. "You could extend the bypass north of the town and east to the A4 but that is not achievable currently because of the cost."

Wiltshire Council's report said: "The air quality in Wiltshire is predominantly very good... However there are a small number of locations where the combination of traffic volume, road layout and topography has resulted in pollutants being trapped."

"In general the trend has been toward improving air quality in the county of Wiltshire and the picture for 2017 is encouraging with most locations showing an improvement in air quality."