IT IS an idyllic Hampshire haven spanning hundreds of square miles.

But parts of the New Forest have exceeded European limits for levels of lethal nitrogen dioxide.

The stark figures were revealed in the latest report on air pollution from New Forest District Council.

It shows kerbside analysis of nitrogen dioxide hit an annual mean concentration of 43 milligrams per cubic metre in Lyndhurst in 2011.

The annual mean objective is 40 milligrams per cubic metre.

Euro MP Keith Taylor, a member of the Green Party, paid a visit to Lyndhurst to highlight potential health problems linked to air pollution in the area.

He told the Daily Echo: “I’m here to congratulate New Forest District Council for its achievement in reducing sulphur dioxide, which is an air pollutant, but at the same time, note that on Lyndhurst High Street the levels of nitrogen dioxide are above the safety limits from the EU.

“This is the year of air, according to our European colleagues. That’s because we are increasingly aware of the health impacts of air pollution.

“We can’t see it but it’s there, and in the UK nitrogen oxide and air pollution combines to prematurely end the lives of 29,000 people.

That’s something we need to be addressing and I am really pleased with the attitude of New Forest District Council of saying that settling for the safety limit isn’t good enough. We want to strive for even better results.”

He was joined by members of New Forest Friends of the Earth, who are calling on local authorities to reduce the level of nitrogen dioxide to a safe level.

One member, John Pemberton, said: “It’s surprising. Lyndhurst is in a national park and you’d think that would be an area that would be relatively low in pollution, but it does have a particular traffic problem.”

Annie Righton, the council’s head of public health and community safety, said: “We take of air pollution very seriously and have been advised by central government that we can revoke the Air Quality Management Area at Fawley, following a successful action plan to reduce levels of sulphur dioxide.

“However, we are aware that there is still an issue of nitrogen dioxide levels in areas of Lyndhurst which exceed the Government objective and we are working to reduce concentrations.”