Britain’s road pollution hotspot is revealed – as Dorset beauty spot hill beleaguered by slow-moving holiday traffic
- Chideock Hill, West Dorset has the worst nitrogen dioxide levels in the country
- More than 1,300 sites across England are breaching annual limits for NO2
- The annual average air target is 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air
More than 1,300 sites across England are breaching annual limits for harmful pollutant nitrogen dioxide, analysis by Friends of the Earth suggests.
The environmental group has analysed the latest data on air pollution from English local authorities’ air quality annual status reports submitted to the Government.
Friends of the Earth said 1,360 monitoring sites across the country exceeded the annual average air quality target of 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air for nitrogen dioxide in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available.
Chideock Hill, West Dorset, pictured, has the worst levels of Nitrogen dioxide in the country with 97.7 micrograms according to cubic metre of air according to research by Friends of the Earth
The area around Chiswell village in Dorset has the highest nitrogen dioxide levels in the country. The pollution is caused by vehicle exhausts. The levels of pollution exceed those of central London
Nitrogen dioxide pollution largely comes from traffic fumes (Andrew Stuart/PA)
The Strand in London is one of the most polluted areas in England according to the survey
High pollution levels have been reported around the Jubilee Clock Tower in Brighton
Idling taxis in Sheffield have been blamed for high NO2 levels in beside their rank
In some spots, the annual average was more than double the level set to protect health from long-term exposure to pollution, the analysis shows.
Nitrogen dioxide is a pollutant which mostly comes from traffic fumes and, along with other pollution such as particulate matter, is linked to health issues such as lung and respiratory diseases and early deaths.
Friends of the Earth wants to see polluting vehicles – which also contribute carbon emissions that are warming the planet – removed from the roads and transport cleaned up.
Simon Bowens, clean air campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said failing to fix air pollution costs lives and showed a failure to address the climate crisis.
‘If ministers want to avoid a return to the health-damaging and illegal levels of air pollution we had before lockdown, their enthusiasm for ‘active travel’ needs to be a permanent switch and not just a short-term gap plugger.
‘The Government must also end its damaging fixation on building more roads.
‘You can’t justify this by planning to phase out polluting petrol and diesel vehicles and replace them with electric ones.
‘We need to go much further than just getting out of one type of car and into another.
‘Investment in better cycling and walking should be part of a fair and green post-coronavirus economic recovery plan aimed at creating a cleaner, fairer future,’ he urged.
There has been an improvement since last year’s audit by the green group, which saw 1,591 sites exceed the annual target.