Mayor of London 'should be responsible for air pollution fines'

Council chiefs from around the country believe the London mayor should be responsible for paying any fines that Britain incurs for breaking EU air quality rules, it has been reported.

According to The London Evening Standard, council bosses believe this should be the case as the capital is home to the majority of the UK's pollution hotspots.

"Environment minister Jim Fitzpatrick told the Commons environmental audit committee that council bosses raised the issue at a meeting late last year," the newspaper stated.

He told MPs that local authority chiefs wanted to know if any fines could be transferred from "UK Plc to whoever happened to be mayor of London".

Any country failing to meet EU nitrogen dioxide limits by 2015 will face a financial penalty.

In related news, Environmental Protection UK recently told NewEnergyFocus.com that the use of a wider range of biomass technologies could affect Britain's air quality if it is not properly regulated.

Written by Lauren Steadman