A GREEN move to ban lorries from using Eastleigh town centre during the rush hour would actually increase pollution, a haulage company boss has claimed.

In a controversial pollution-busting measure, the brakes would be slammed on lorries delivering to town centre stores from 8am to 10am and 4.30pm to 6.30pm.

But Derek Miller, who runs D F Miller Haulage, fears that it could seriously damage the economic lifeblood of the town and drive many haulage companies out of business.

The proposed area for the ban would be bounded by Leigh Road, Passfield Avenue, Chestnut Avenue, Southampton Road, Nightingale Estate, Twyford Road and Bishopstoke Road as far as Chickenhall Lane.

The borough council is investigating whether such a ban would be feasible and what effect it would have on the local economy.

But Mr Miller, who started his business about 30 years ago with one truck, said his lorries would have to make a seven-mile detour from his company's Chickenhall Lane depot to get to the M3.

He said: "Instead of going about a mile they would have to drive to Fair Oak, out through Colden Common and Twyford to pick up the M3. That is a massive detour and lorries would be travelling past schools. I cannot see how you are cutting down on pollution when you are sending lorries seven miles instead of one.

"The council have not thought this through. If this ban comes in it will have a serious effect on a lot of transport companies in Eastleigh."

Mr Miller said: "Such a restriction would cause serious problems for anyone who needs to use Eastleigh in their normal working day.

"The four-hour banning of any goods vehicles from Eastleigh could mean a 50 per cent reduction on a normal eight-hour working day.

"It would also cause an increase in the number of lorries into Eastleigh between 10am and 4.30pm, causing more congestion."

Mr Miller added: "Eastleigh has always had a traffic problem. It has excellent rail and air links but the road infrastructure is not good enough.

"A lot of money has been spent on traffic management schemes but none of it has cured the problem."

He believed that a major way of solving the town's traffic congestion would be to build an

eastern bypass from Allbrook Hill, running alongside sports fields to Bishopstoke and linking up with the proposed Chickenhall Link.

Mr Miller said that the rush hour ban would have a huge impact on major companies like Alstom - the town's giant rail works- and the Ford Plant.

He would like to know where these delivery lorries would be able to park before they can get into the town centre.

He added: "Nowadays you do not see lorries belching out smoke. Lorries are fairly clean and have to comply with Euro legislation on pollution."

An Eastleigh Council spokesman said: "The council will be carrying out a study to examine the feasibility of a peak hour lorry ban."