London today entered the third week of January without breaching legal air quality limits for the first time since modern records began.
Every year for the last decade the city’s toxic air has exceeded legal hourly pollution cap for nitrogen dioxide within the first few days of the new year.
Putney High Street, Oxford Street and Brixton Road are among the pollution “hotspots” that have usually broken the limit by 6 January at the latest.
The hourly limit for NO2 is still likely to be exceeded later this month but later than usual as a result of anti-pollution measures and blustery, wet weather so far this year.
There has to be a recording of 18 hours of very high pollution levels at any individual monitoring site across London to exceed legal limits.
As of today, the hourly average of 200 ug/m3 NO2 has only hit a maximum of 8 hours – five in Brixton, two in Putney and one at Park Lane, Croydon.
Mayor Sadiq Khan claimed partial responsibility for the improvement, pointing to measures he has introduced such as the T-charge for older, more polluting cars.
New low-emission bus zones have also had an impact – in Putney reducing the number of hours breaching legal limits by more than 90 per cent on the previous year.
He said: “At long last we are seeing some improvements in our toxic air, but much more needs to be done before Londoners can finally breathe a proper sigh of relief.”
- How firecrackers, farm fires made Delhi air quality severe
- Delhi air quality may hit severe zone again
- Delhi’s air quality turns ‘severe’, firecrackers add to misery
- Pollution: Air quality plunges to ‘very poor’ level in 29 cities as winter sets in across North India
- Crackers, farm fires make Delhi's air quality 'severe'; relief likely
- Dermot O'Leary QUITS as NTAs host following 10 years... after saying he 'would throw in the towel' if Ant and Dec won controversial 18th gong
- Tier system could be scrapped in just NINE WEEKS: Boris Johnson promises Commons vote in the new year in bid to head off Tory backbench rebellion
- Delhi breathes easier as air quality improves
- Justin King's 10-year reign at Sainsbury's draws to a close at AGM
- Air quality test by residents finds high pollutant levels in Kharghar
- After being moderate after six weeks, air quality dips again in Noida, Ghaziabad
- Weather forecast today – Snow in LONDON next week as Arctic blast rips through UK bringing sub-zero misery
London enters third week of January without breaching legal air quality limits for first time in 10 years have 396 words, post on www.standard.co.uk at January 15, 2018. This is cached page on VietNam Breaking News. If you want remove this page, please contact us.