BOSSES at Fawley Refinery are confident they will meet tough new air pollution demands due to be introduced in two years' time.

One of the big challenges facing the world's major petrol producers is keeping toxic chemicals in the can and out of the atmosphere.

A meeting of New Forest Council's environment review panel heard that one of the key chemicals being clamped down on was sulphur dioxide.

From December 2005, industrial installations will be barred from releasing more than 100 parts per billion into the atmosphere in any 15-minute spell more than 35 times in any one year.

The panel heard from assistant environmental health director Annie Righton that monitoring is already under way and that the mark had been exceeded 42 times in 2001 and 39 times last year.

The council, she said, had been liaising with the Environment Agency which had passed its concerns on to Esso and had asked what was going to be done.

"So far this year," she said, "we have had 11 exceedences. But the vast majority occur in the winter months when low cloud hangs over the chimneys and the sulphur dioxide circulates without being able to escape."

She said the council had been asked by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to consider setting up an air quality management area and the meeting agreed that residents should be asked for their views on a possible boundary for the area.

Esso Petroleum pointed out that the figures being exceeded are not in effect but are proposals which will be introduced in 2005.

They said they will take action to meet the new legislation when it comes into effect.