WHERE you live in Bolton may determine your health and well-being.

I live in The Haulgh, right next to the A666. I can regularly smell and hear the pollutions of road traffic from my back yard.

I am told in a letter from the council that the trees which line the periphery of the A666 help protect my street from both noise and air pollution. But the trees have sparse distributions of leaves, with the highest concentration of leaves being in a canopy at least 6m above ground level. So I can see the traffic from my kitchen window and hear it from every room in my house 24 hours a day. Being deciduous trees, the problem is worsened in winter.

I have researched the extent of the pollution in Bolton and found that BL2 1HR has the most pollutants emitted into the air than elsewhere in Bolton. A staggering 326 tonnes per year of carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) were emitted in 2000, 99 per cent of which is from road transport. Compare this to Ladybridge -- BL3 4UQ -- where only 42 tonnes per year were emitted in 2000. The residents of BL2 1HR are exposed to more than twice the Bolton average of carbon monoxide. BL2 1HR is also the main offender in the emission of other harmful gases such as carcinogenic benzene, 1, 3-butadiene and volatile organic compounds which can be composed of over 300 different chemicals, some of which are known carcinogens. Along with BL3 1RN (Darcy Lever) and BL3 2DS, BL2 1HR is another major offender in the emission of particulates. Particulates exacerbate respiratory problems such as asthma and bronchitis.

At recent meetings, Bolton Council have apparently been working with green organisations to see what can be done about the present situation to make Bolton a cleaner place for future generations. There appears to be no development plan to strengthen the protection of The Haulgh from the A666. The council could at least pressurise the Highways Commission to take on the responsibility.

The Bolton Unitary Plan states that: "The Council will not permit development that will result in unacceptable impacts on existing uses or likely future development by reason of noise, smell, safety, health, lighting, disturbance, traffic or other pollution." This plan may be successful at hindering industrial development, however it will have little impact on the inevitable increase in road traffic in years to come. There's no reference to improving Bolton's existing environment in the plan. The plan, in general, appears to be satisfied with the current status of Bolton's environment. The plan should be less complacent as it's not just future development that needs to be addressed, it's the existing developments that need to be looked at to improve our environmental quality. Maybe there's a correlation between the incidence of respiratory problems and pollutant emissions in Bolton post codes.

It's down to us to choose where we live, but I believe it should be down to the Government to improve air quality wherever possible, because we are limited in the variety of places that we can choose.

Andrew Whitlow

Dorset Street

The Haulgh, Bolton

(* figures taken from" 'UK National Air Quality' database www.aeat.co.uk)