Here is something to absorb after a bracing Bank Holiday walk. That fresh air is not as fresh as it should be. According to a survey by pressure group Friends of the Earth (FoE), Yorkshire and Humberside is second only to the North West in the industrial polluters league.

It is tempting to blame this shameful finding on the output of the region's traditional centres of heavy industry. But it is no use denouncing Sheffield or Doncaster when one of the biggest culprits is on York's doorstep.

Drax Power Station tops the FoE list for emissions of acid rain gases. It belched out more than 187,000 tonnes of these gases last year, according to data from the Environment Agency. Drax was also high up in the league of factories that released the most of the toxic chemicals known as dioxins, a list that also includes the Ferrybridge and Eggborough power stations.

In recent years, pollution has been reduced. But today's figures show that more needs to be done. And if we are serious about reducing the levels of industrial toxins in our atmosphere, we must begin by tackling our biggest polluters.

Drax is the biggest coal-fired power station in Western Europe. As such, it is a major North Yorkshire employer, both directly - 600 people work there - and indirectly, as a customer of the Selby pits. This makes it a key player in the local economy.

But that does not exempt the power station from scrutiny of its pollution record. The gases it releases into the atmosphere could potentially affect thousands of people here and abroad.

More work needs to be done on cutting pollutants from Drax. Owner National Power argue that it is one of the cleanest coal-fired plants in Europe, after £670 million was invested in desulphurisation equipment. The FoE figures show that efforts to reduce emissions must continue.

Drax Power Station is up for sale. Whoever buys it will take over a highly profitable venture: the station provides about ten per cent of the nation's power and earns £200 million profit a year.

Any company hoping to buy Drax will no doubt make the right noises about being tough on emissions.

But we need a greater commitment than that. The Environment Agency should insist that the owner earmarks a significant proportion of the profits to fund an anti-pollution programme. And any future applications to increase the amount of pollutants from Drax must be turned down flat.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.