Pollution claims made against Hammersmith and Fulham

Hammersmith and Fulham is one of the most polluted areas in the UK, it has been claimed, and work is needed to help bring down pollution levels in the London borough.

The claims were made by London Assembly Green Party member Jenny Jones, who has produced a new table that indicates main roads in the area have emissions levels that are 100 per cent over the European legal limit.

According to Ms Jones, the fact that emissions are so high is having a detrimental effect on many of the borough's residents, including young people.

The table reveals that 40 of the borough’s schools are next to roads that have more than 10,000 vehicles pass through every day, which is exposing them to a significant amount of pollution; something complemented by other research suggesting the problem could be responsible for between 15 and 30 per cent of new asthma cases in young people.

As a result, Ms Jones is calling on London mayor Boris Johnson to cut nitrogen dioxide levels across the whole of London and address the growing problem in areas such as Hammersmith and Fulham.

"The mayor has been dithering and delaying in introducing effective measures to tackle air pollution. That could mean, according to his own pollution projections, that pupils who attend a school by a busy, polluted road would be exposed to harmful levels of vehicle pollution during their school years," she explained.

She has called for "big ideas" such as reducing traffic by lowering fares and improving public transport and cycling facilities.

"The mayor should at the very least boost his Clean Air Fund for worst affected schools, to enable them to take measures to reduce children’s exposure, within the school and through their travel," Ms Jones added.

Responding to the table and Ms Jones' comments, a spokesman for the mayor said emissions of oxides of nitrogen are down by an estimated 20 per cent since Mr Johnson took office, which they said is a result of "an ambitious package of measures" such as building the continent's largest fleet of low emission hybrid buses, retiring the oldest taxis and introducing tighter emission standards for lorries and vans.