A NEW campaign has been launched to encourage Sherborne drivers to switch off their engines when they think they’ll be stopped for more than two minutes.

Unnecessary idling – running a vehicle’s engine when parked or waiting for more than a few minutes – impacts everyone’s health and wastes fuel.

Pollution hotspots in Sherborne include the area around the station and railway crossing, the bottom of Cheap Street, and the A30 at Greenhill.

The campaign is a project of Sherborne’s Climate Cafe, which consists of a group of residents seeking to mitigate the impact of global climate change on the town.

A spokesperson for the campaign said: “Unnecessary idling is common all over Sherborne.

“Whether it’s drivers not switching off their engines while they wait for passengers in town, parents idling while they wait for the school gates to open, or cars and lorries leaving their engines running for 10 minutes or more while waiting at the railway crossing.

“Some people even leave their engines running while they leave their cars unattended to pop into shops.

“We’re encouraging drivers to follow RAC advice to switch off their engines when parked or stopped for more than a couple of minutes.”

Picture: Sherborne No Idling Campaign

Motor vehicle idling is a major source of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate pollution known as PM2.5, which take a long time to clear, especially in tight spaces near buildings and walls.

Levels of PM2.5 and nitrogen NO2 exceed World Health Organization (WHO) limits in many parts of Sherborne, according to Imperial College London data published on the Address Pollution website.

Organisers of the campaign say that levels of PM2.5 exceed WHO limits outside every school in the town, according to the data.

Short-term exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 can cause wheezing and worsen symptoms of asthma, putting extra pressure on health services.

Longer-term exposure can impair lung development in children and cause respiratory and heart disease.

Idling costs drivers and businesses money too – idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting the engine on most modern motor vehicles.

As well as this, unnecessary idling causes needless CO2 emissions, which contribute to climate change, and noise pollution, which can disturb residents and even lead to stress.

Idling can also be illegal. The Highway Code states: “You must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road.”

The law doesn’t cover private property such as school and supermarket car parks.

Jill Warburton, health inequalities lead for the Sherborne Area Primary Care Network said: “Air pollution, which is made worse by unnecessary idling, is harmful to everyone but some people are more at risk.

“Children aged 14 and under and people over 65 are most affected, as are people with conditions like asthma, or heart problems.

“Health is affected by exposure to air pollutants in the longer term as well as during specific periods of poor air quality.

“This is linked with increased hospital admissions for people with chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.”

Businesses and organisations can pledge their support for the campaign by completing a short form at bit.ly/sherbornepledge.

They can also ask staff and visitors to switch off their engines when parked or stopped at or near their premises and display campaign posters.

Businesses and organisations that have already pledged support for the campaign include the Sherborne Chamber of Commerce, Red Panda Eco Shop on South Street, Sherborne Abbey Primary School, Sherborne Primary School, Sherborne Preparatory School, Kaleidoscope Nursery, and Sherborne Area Schools’ Trust.