Toxic air watch

TODAY, on page two of the paper, we publish for the first time London Air Watch — our guide to levels of air pollution in the capital, compiled independently by the weather experts MeteoGroup. It will become a new daily feature in the paper, so that our readers know whether or not they and their families are being exposed to illegal levels of toxic air.

The purpose is not just to inform the public but also to arm them with the facts to demand a response to the problem of pollution from local and national government. Our long-running campaign for clean air — particularly in respect of particulate emissions from diesel cars — has seen politicians from both Left and Right move from a position of indifference to concern. Now concern must become concerted action. Lives depend on it.