SOUTHAMPTON car dealers have been targeted by protesters campaigning against air pollution.

Greenpeace campaigners put health warning stickers on diesel cars at three dealerships on Banister Road.

The campaigners claim that two thirds of new diesel cars being sold today are pumping out higher concentrations of toxic air pollution than they should.

They visited the showrooms of Range Rover, Jaguar and Vauxhall and labelled diesel cars with stickers proclaiming ‘Diesel harms your health’ and ‘Warning: Driving this car creates dangerous levels of pollution’.

Rhia Weston, local Greenpeace campaigner, said: “This is concern for Southampton residents who live in one of the most polluted cities in the UK. The car industry has been caught out rigging pollution tests, and selling us diesels that are unsafe and harm our health.

“This is a scandal of epic proportions and it’s still happening. Every day more shiny new diesels are being sold and adding to the air pollution crisis that’s blighting our population’s health. Instead of rigging tests and lobbying for diesel, they should drop diesel and start making affordable electric cars.”

According to Greenpeace, air pollution can cause asthma in otherwise healthy children, can stunt children’s lung growth permanently by up to 10 per cent, and is linked to strokes, heart disease and diabetes in older people.

The environmental campaigning group estimates that 110 people die prematurely in Southampton every year because of air pollution. They say that since the ‘Dieselgate’ scandal, where VW was caught cheating tests, it has come to light that car companies have been knowingly breaking air pollution standards with some new diesel cars emitting 15 times more toxic pollution than they are supposed to.

DEFRA figures show that diesel causes almost a third of the nitrogen oxides air pollution in the UK, and 90 per cent of the nitrogen oxides on our roads.

Greenpeace’s air pollution campaign is calling for the car industry to drop diesel and start making affordable electric cars.

The Echo was unable to get comments from two of the garages.

When the Jaguar garage was contacted a member of staff that no stickers had been seen.