Farnham town centre may be open for business but some Downing Street traders are being forced to keep their doors shut because of the fumes from queuing traffic.

The perceived drop in air quality, caused by traffic queuing at the temporary lights, has led to renewed calls for planters to be removed to create more emergency passing points and loading areas.

“We do notice the smell and pollution more, especially down this end of the street,” said Liz Fearnley of Sweet Lizzy.

“The minutes the lights turn red the traffic backs up and we have idling cars, so they sit there for a minute or two.

“There’s been a massive difference since work started and you can feel the dirt in the air.”

Concerns about the impact of the town centre works on air quality have been continually aired with Richard Sanders asking questions during the Annual Meeting of Electors.

He said: “I think there is a big concern about air pollution and if there is going to be a six-storey building on East Street that will create a canyon and more of a problem.”

The level of pollution seems to have “gone up massively” according to Jonathan Durham with the Downing Street resident writing to SCC about the impact on trade and health.

He said: “The shops which want to keep their doors open, inviting customers in, are now having to close them. It is much easier to get a customer through an open door.”

Mr Durham’s letter also suggested that a shop worker was possibly going to quit her job because of the impact of traffic fumes on her asthma, with the SCC reply focusing more on the eventual benefits of the scheme.

The letter states: “Please accept our apologies for the frustration caused.

“One of the key objectives of the scheme is to improve air quality by reducing the amount of traffic travelling through town centre.

“The scheme will create a safer, more pedestrian friendly environment with wider pavements, new and improved pedestrian crossings and high-quality public spaces with greening and seating.”

The latest air quality readings are for February with 29/30 The Borough topping the Waverley charts with levels of nitrogen dioxide well exceeding the national limit.

Levels rose by nearly a third as a mean reading of 48 micrograms per cubic metre of air was recorded between February 6 and March 6, compared to 36.2 the month before.

The UK legal limit for annual average concentrations is 40 while the figure is nearly five times higher than the World Health Organisation recommended limit of 10.

Badshot Lea Road and Station Hill also saw increases with a rise from 30.6 to 35.3 at the former and from 33.5 to 39.6 at the latter.

The big surprise on the list is the relatively low reading for Downing Street as a figure of 29.9 was recorded in February compared to 31.2 in January, but this may change when the latest figures arrive.