A PLAN to clean up Southampton's air has taken a major step forward after a raft of pollution-busting measures was approved by city bosses.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo Southampton has been identified as one of the most polluted cities in the country, prompting city leaders to come up with a plan to cut emissions and pollutants.

This week the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) action plan has been given the go-ahead by Southampton City Council's Cabinet committee.

The strategy will promote and incentivise actions to reduce emissions from next year including priority parking for electric vehicles and discounts of parking permits and tolls for low emission vehicles.

Penalty charges ware also set to be introduced for the most polluting HGVs, buses and taxis to enter the centre.

The plan comes three years ahead of the authority's mandatory requirement to introduce a CAZ before 2019/20.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published the UK Air Quality Plan in December 2015 identifying Southampton as one of the five most toxic cities in the country.

This prompted the Daily Echo to launch the Breathe Easy campaign, highlighting issues affecting the city and the impact pollution is having.

The city is now developing a feasibility study on how the penalty charging system will operate, securing funding from government and working in partnership with DEFRA to develop a framework for the plan.

Liz Batten, from Clean Air Southampton, said: "I think the council can do better. Although I welcome it, the council is completely hamstrung by the lack of finances and powers."

She said the Clean Air plan was going to reduce pollution for lorries but not diesel cars adding that council needed to "take measures into its own hands" to restrict diesel engines from the city centre.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo a recent court ruling saw campaigners force the government to go back to the drawing board with a more robust plan for tackling pollution levels in the UK, with calls for diesel cars to also face penalty charges in Low Emission Zones.

"We forget why this is so important - it is because our health is so much at risk and there are a lot of people in the city suffering from Asma who maybe suffering from it because of diesel fumes," she said.

"It has been called a public health emergency by doctors so it is not just about getting lorries and cars off the road it is about all of us thinking about how we can reduce the amount of air pollution to protect ourselves and our children."