UK government attacked over air pollution

The UK government has been accused of attempting to "water down" EU air pollution legislation rather than make a concerted effort to reduce carbon emissions.

According to the UK's Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), dangerous levels of particulate matter (PM10) are still commonly found in the atmosphere, which is contributing to tens of thousands of deaths each year.

Instead of taking measures to cut down on air pollution, the EAC believes the coalition government is merely seeking extensions on emission reduction targets from the EU in order to avoid hefty fines.

MP Joan Walley - who is the chair of the committee - has labelled the situation a "national scandal".

"If you have heart disease, asthma or other respiratory illnesses then living near a congested road like this can literally take years off your life," she remarked.

Last week, the European Environment Agency stated there is definite room for improvement in terms of trimming air pollution across the continent, as 20 per cent of EU citizens lived in an area with excessive levels of PM10 in 2009.

Posted by Lauren Steadman