New plans to fine drivers for not switching off their engines while parked up will not punish “vulnerable people needing to stay warm” or drivers caught in a traffic jam, a council chief has insisted.

A new plan of action drafted up by Wycombe District Council in a bid to tackle dangerous air pollution levels in the area features a raft of measures including public awareness campaigns and new road signs - but potentially fining drivers for not turning off their engines attracted the most attention.

Cllr Julia Adey, cabinet member for environment at the council, said fining drivers is just a way of “getting people’s attention to make them think about how they can contribute to any improvements”.

She insisted that the fines - which would apply to private, commercial and public transport drivers - would not punish the vulnerable.

She said: “Idling an engine is unhealthy for people in the area, also the driver, it costs money and it damages the environment in other ways.

“Enforcement won’t take place when people are waiting to turn, or if they are stopped at traffic lights, or caught in a traffic jam.

“It won’t be used against vulnerable people needing to stay warm, or keep cool in their cars – efforts will be aimed at people who let their engines run unnecessarily in sensitive places like outside nursery schools.

“We will give plenty of warning and drivers will have many chances to change their habits, including publicity, signage and other information to warn them.

“If any tickets were to be issued for idling, then the fines will be used to support the council’s work in air quality monitoring and management.”

Cllr Adey said the plan will be there to “help protect the health of our residents, whatever their background – including young children who are still developing and growing, vulnerable people, or those with long-term conditions such as asthma or heart disease”.

Air pollution levels in some areas of Wycombe are more than 70 per cent above the national target.

Areas of both High Wycombe and Marlow were measured to be in excess of the national limit for Nitrogen Dioxide and two new Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) were declared – with the county council, Wycombe District Council (WDC) and Arriva and Carousel, along with organisations like the Marlow Society and Wycombe Friends of the Earth, getting together to come up with ways to tackle the toxic fumes.

WDC is asking residents to comment on the plans on their website as part of a consultation running until September 11.

Visit www.wycombe.gov.uk to respond to the consultation.