IT'S not a league table we want to head. But according to figures released by Friends of the Earth, Bolton is one of the leading places for "summertime smog".

And on five days that pollution was monitored this month, the town was among 15 sites to have broken Government national health standards for levels of ozone. It's a situation that needs to be changed - and quickly.

We join Tom Bosworth, Friends of the Earth's Pollution Campaigner, in calling for urgent action in next month's Transport White Paper to cut traffic levels by spending more cash on public transport.

Bolton does not want to acquire a reputation for providing breathing problems alongside its tourist attractions.

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