FIRST bus came under fire during a debate over the high levels of air pollution on Musselburgh High Street, which have not improved in more than a year.

A report to East Lothian Council’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday revealed that nearly 30 per cent of the pollution at the busy traffic spot is caused by buses.

It led to independent councillor David Berry branding one firm “delinquent when it came to emissions”.

Musselburgh West councillor Fraser McAllister went further, naming the company and saying: “We are talking about First, they are the real belchers here.” The comments came after the council’s alterations and engineering manager Stuart Baxter revealed he had witnessed seven buses queuing at a bus stop on High Street during a recent site visit.

The local authority requires to reduce air pollution by nitrogen dioxide, caused primarily by traffic emissions, on Musselburgh High Street by 27 per cent. But at the meeting officials said the level of pollution had not changed in a year and was still too high.

A report on air quality management said emissions from buses formed the largest contribution of nitrogen dioxide and queuing traffic was more of an issue than moving vehicles.

It said cutting the amount of queuing traffic by 30 per cent or more would bring emissions to an acceptable level.

Mr Baxter said the council was in regular talks with both bus companies operating in the town – First and Lothian Buses – about better ways to operate there.

There had also been discussions about creating an additional bus stop to stagger the buses.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Greens criticisied the council for not acting faster. They claimed work currently being carried out at the east end of the High Street, as part of the Musselburgh Town Centre Strategy, would make traffic congestion in the town worse, not better. The strategy had called for an open pedestrianised area but the current work will instead make it easier to close off the area for events.

Jason Rose, East Lothian Greens campaigner, said: “East Lothian Council really is dragging its feet on this important issue. I find the lack of action on bus emissions baffling.

“You also have to question how seriously the council takes the notion of reducing traffic in the town centre given the current revamp of High Street from Pinkie Pillars to the Tolbooth.

“It involves creating additional parking rather than less, and it moves bus stops further away from homes and shops.” Mr Berry said the problem of congestion on the street had been going on for years and described short-term solutions as asking “how many Elastoplasts it takes to fix a brain haemorrhage”.

He said the only way to reduce traffic was to reopen the Electric Bridge and open up Inveresk Road to through-traffic.

But Musselburgh East councillor Stuart Currie said: “To reopen Electric Bridge would mean knocking it down and rebuilding it, and Inveresk Road was closed to through-traffic after a child was knocked down. Opening it would lead to a road tragedy.” He urged the council to look at buying land up for sale at the former bus station to create a new route from Dalrymple Loan to Mall Avenue.

Musselburgh East councillor John Caldwell said in the short term the answer was to make sure more people used the bypass, before joking: “We could ask the Scottish Government for money just to build a bridge from Prestonpans to Seafield.” First had not responded to a request for a comment at the time of going to press.