The Irish Government is being urged to consider restricting heavily polluting vehicles from Irish urban centres.

The party made the announcement after new research revealed a link between major traffic proximity and dementia.

The research was published in the Lancet medical journal.

Transport Spokesperson Cllr. Ciaran Cuffe said: "The Government should now consider restricting heavily polluting vehicles from urban centres and follow the lead of cities such as Berlin and Rome that have such bans in place.

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"We also need to improve our monitoring of air pollution in urban areas. In Dublin's inner city there are only two measuring points for air pollution: Coleraine Street in Dublin 7 and Winetavern Street in Dublin 2. This is insufficient to obtain a clear picture of urban air quality, and Minister Coveney should ensure that local authorities are adequately resourced to measure pollution. He should also ensure that the EPA publishes data in a timely manner as some of the 'real-time' data on the EPA's own site has not been updated since last August, and air quality data in Cork City was unavailable for several days over the Christmas period.

"The extension of the smoky coal ban nationwide should now be considered by Minister Coveney as a matter of urgency as the links between human health and pollution become clearer."

(CD/LM)