MOTORISTS who smoke while driving have been targeted by officers from environmental health and Trading Standards.

But it is not the driver's smoking habits which cause concern, it is the cars.

Herefordshire Council's environmental health and trading standards service has carried out free checks on the emissions of vehicles to ensure they complied with MoT exhaust standards.

The council tested 54 cars during the tests on Tuesday, December 18, at Safeway's supermarket car park, Hereford.

Nine vehicles failed the test.

Head of environmental health and trading standards, Andrew Tector, said the exercise was only an advisory nature therefore notices were not served on the vehicles. But, he added, the initiative had demonstrated to drivers how their vehicles could be contributing to the problems of air quality in the city.

Last month, the city was designated as an Air Quality Management area after concerns about the high levels of toxic gases in the air believed to be caused by slow-moving traffic along the A49 between Holmer to Belmont roundabout.

"I hope this exercise showed drivers how they can inadvertently contribute to the problem," said Mr Tector.