UK taken to court over air pollution

THE European Commission is to take Britain to court in a bid to punish it over a failure to set good enough standards on diesel emissions.

Germany, France and Italy are also being referred to the Court of Justice over persistent breaches of pollution levels.

Environment commissioner Karmenu Vella claimed the countries had broken limits on levels of health-damaging nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and failed to provide “credible, effective and timely” plans.

He said: “The member states ...have received sufficient ‘last chances’ over the last decade to improve the situation.”

“It is my conviction that today’s decision will lead to improvements for citizens on a much quicker timescale.”

Levels of NO2 peaked at 102 microgrammes per cubic metre of air in 16 locations in the UK in 2016, including London, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow, compared to an EU limit of 40 microgrammes.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said £3.5billion is to be spent on a Clean Air Strategy and blamed the problem on commission rules.

A spokesman said: “We continue to meet EU air quality limits for all pollutants apart from nitrogen dioxide, and data shows we are improving thanks to our efforts to bring levels of NO2 down.”

Tory MP Neil Parish, chairman of the environment, food and rural affairs committee, said the action should be “a wake-up call”.