Air pollution plummets by 44 per cent as cities are breathing easier

Air pollution levels have dropped by more than 40 per cent in a number of UK cities as transport use has plummeted in the lockdown, data shows.

Preliminary analysis by experts at the University of York reveals levels of key pollutant nitrogen dioxide, which mostly comes from combustion engines in vehicles, have been significantly reduced in the past few weeks.

But there has not been the same impact on another form of toxic pollution, tiny particles known as PM2.5.

Experts say that is because the particles stay in the air longer and are generated from more sources, including agriculture and burning solid fuels, which have continued during the lockdown.

Easterly winds have also been bringing pollution from Europe where the same is true.

But the fall in nitrogen dioxide gives a potential glimpse into the cities of the future where most transport will not be from diesel or petrol vehicles, which the UK Government plans to phase out to tackle climate change and pollution.

The data shows that during the lockdown, levels of nitrogen dioxide are down by as much as 48 per cent in Leeds compared with the five-year average for the time of year, while Newcastle and Cardiff have seen drops of around 45 per cent and Glasgow has seen levels fall 44 per cent.

Professor James Lee, from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of York, said the falls began before the official lockdown started, then decreased quite quickly before levelling out at the lower rate.

He said: “What we’ve seen since the lockdown is a reduction in nitrogen dioxide, which is mainly from vehicles, particularly diesel vehicles, quite uniformly in most places and certainly at sites near to roads.”