Senior staff at Lincoln Cathedral say car fumes are causing irreparable damage to the building.

They are asking Lincolnshire County Council to impose a ban on traffic around the minster. Work is carried out all year round to clean the cathedral's limestone at a cost of around �1m.

But the Precentor of Lincoln Cathedral, Canon Andrew Stokes, says acid rain, caused mainly by petrol fumes, is eating away at the building.

He wants Lincolnshire County Council to reorganise the traffic system and remove all vehicles from the cathedral quarter.

The authority says traffic is already restricted on the north and south-bound routes and further bans would have implications for the rest of the city.

It also says a new eastern by-pass, due to be built in the next 10 years, should alleviate the problem.