‘It worries me what we are breathing in’
Ruby Davies talks to residents of Victoria Road in Fenton, one of Stoke-on-trent’s above average nitrogen dioxide hotspots
PEOPLE living on one of Stokeon-trent’s most polluted roads say they are concerned about the health problems it could cause. Victoria Road, in Fenton, has been identified as having illegal levels of traffic-related pollution.
Stoke-on-trent City Council was ordered by the government in 2018 to tackle the issue of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) hot spots in the city. Excessive NO2 levels can cause or exacerbate various respiratory conditions, such as asthma and COPD, both of which are seen at above average rates in Stoke-ontrent.
Stoke-on-trent City Council is planning to introduce a clean air zone (CAZ) covering much of Hanley and Fenton. The class C CAZ would involve charges being imposed on the most polluting lorries, vans, taxis and buses entering the zone – but private cars would not be affected.
Danny Leverton has lived on Victoria Road for a year and says he has to clean his front door every week. The 30-year-old said: “These houses are really old and they shake when the lorries go past, it’s a bit of a nightmare.
“There’s also music coming from the cars going past. It’s really noisy, even at night time.
“My daughter’s room is at the front of the house and thankfully she’s a good sleeper. A lot of lorries go past at night time. I can see how people would struggle to sleep.
“It worries me quite a bit what we’re breathing in. I have to clean the dust off my door and within a week it’s covered again.
“It’s a worry having a little one as well with all these lorries going past. I’ve seen a few accidents, we’ve been here a year and heard about three collisions.
“I think a clean air zone is a good idea. This many lorries going past is not good. You can hear the traffic noise over the telly sometimes.
“You also have to worry about if one of these vehicles make a wrong turn, they’re straight in our building.”
Julia Ciucias says she goes to Fenton Park to get some fresh air. The 20-year-old, of Victoria Road, said: “We’ve lived here over 10 years so we’ve kind of got used to the noise.
“I sleep at the back of the house, so I don’t hear as much, but my parents definitely do. The crossing here is supposed to slow people down, but sometimes people don’t adhere to the speed limit.
“There was an accident two years ago, where someone was crossing and the vehicle stopped abruptly and four cars went in the back of each other.
“We live opposite a park that has lots of greenery and oxygen so we feel a bit better when we go there, but the pollution is still something to be concerned about especially when the big lorries are coming down the road.
“With the clean air zone, this is a main road to Hanley and Longton, so if they stopped certain vehicles coming along here it would make it quieter, but I think it would send the problem elsewhere.”
Paul Swinnerton owns Swinnerton Cycles which opened on Victoria Road in 1915. He says the road doesn’t seem much busier now than it ever has.
The 64-year-old said: “The houses were built here in 1915 and my grandad opened the store then and my mum and dad took it over in 1952.
“This was the old A50, it was the main route through Stoke-ontrent. That’s why all the businesses do well on this road.
“The road doesn’t seem much busier now than it’s ever been. I’ve been here since I was a kid and the only time it gets really busy and backed up with traffic is when there’s roadworks.
“To me the damage in this road is done by big heavy goods vehicles cutting through instead of going on the A500. This road should have a weight restriction.
“The weight of the lorries makes the front walls shake doing damage to the buildings themselves. I’d prefer to see the bigger wagons, unless their going to the industrial estate, restricted from coming down here.
“Now that parking has been restricted by the red routes along here, traffic is flowing much quicker. Everyone wants clean air, but I’ve worked here all my life and I don’t think I’ve suffered from any pollution. We are constantly cleaning the dust in the shop coming from the front, but it’s always been the same.
“Victoria Road over the past few years has had a lot of roadworks. They’ve done a good job on the roundabout at the bottom and it seems to be working better. But I think they need to redo the pollution levels and take them when no roadworks are being carried out.
“There are businesses moving from here because of the clean air zone. If they’re going to reduce access to the road, businesses are going to suffer from it.”