Greenwich Council is planning to experiment with closing school roads to traffic during peak times.

In an effort to improve air quality, the council along with eight schools will take part in a trial to shut roads to traffic at pick up and drop off times.

Councillor Danny Thorpe, deputy leader of the council, shared details of the scheme.

Posting an invitation to a headteacher on Twitter, he wrote: “This could help to create a safer, healthier and more attractive environment outside schools, and encourage more people to walk and cycle.

“The council would create the legal order required for any closure and provide appropriate bollards/signage.

“The school would be responsible for raising and lowering the bollards each day, and providing access to any residents of the area covered by a closure.”

Similar schemes have been trialled in Croydon, where three schools went car-free for six months.

During that trial, drivers who passed through zones without the correct permit were slapped with a £130 fine.

Greenwich is often cited as a pollution hotspot, and campaigners have long called for improved air-quality measures, especially in areas surrounding the Blackwall Tunnel.

Residents and activists have also raised concerns about the potential impact of the Silvertown Tunnel, which is expected to be decided on tomorrow.

The council is recruiting eight schools before it outlines the trial in more detail.