London’s polluted air has already smashed annual limits on levels of harmful soot and dust particles just two months into the year.
A monitoring station at a “toxic hotspot” next to the congested six-lane Vauxhall gyratory in Lambeth has picked up concentrations above a legal ceiling on 40 days in 2020.
Levels of so-called PM10 particulates must not exceed 50 micrograms in a cubic metre of air on more than 35 days in a year. This tally was passed on February 20, a month earlier than in 2019.
Andrea Lee, from environmental law charity ClientEarth, said: “This is another reminder of the severity of London’s air pollution.
“The Mayor deserves credit for bringing in one of the most ambitious clean air zones in the world, but more needs to be done to tackle all sources of pollution.”
A spokesman for the Mayor said the monitoring station in Vauxhall was “not representative” and claimed the monitoring site “may be impacted by a nearby ventilation shaft from the Tube”.
