Brussels issues final warning to UK over air pollution limit breaches

The European Commission has issued a final warning to the UK over repeated breaches of air pollution limits for nitrogen dioxide.

It said this was a serious health risk and resulted mainly from road traffic.

The warning to the UK involved 16 air quality zones, including London, Birmingham, Leeds, and Glasgow.

It said possible measures to lower polluting emissions included reducing road traffic volumes, changing the fuels used and switching to electric cars.

If affected member states fail to act within two months, the Commission may take the matter to the EU Court of Justice. The UK is bound by rules on air pollution as long as it remains an EU member.

Air quality standards are being breached in 23 of the 28 EU member states and infringement cases are in progress against 12 of them. Similar warnings were made to Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

Leaders of the five cities worst affected by air pollution this week called on Prime Minister Theresa May to take urgent action.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan and council leaders in Derby, Nottingham, Leeds, Birmingham and Southampton said vehicle manufacturers should become more accountable for emissions, with a zero-tolerance approach to malpractice.

They also called for national minimum emissions standards for private hire vehicles, greater powers over the use of diesel generators, a new Clean Air Act and new powers for local authorities to limit construction and river emissions.

The leaders said the £3m fund for local authorities to clean air pollution was “woefully inadequate” and urged the Government to devolve fiscal incentives such as vehicle excise duty and create a national diesel vehicle scrappage fund.