Air pollution in Bristol kills five each week

♦ Five people die early every week in Bristol through exposure to air pollution, a study has found.

Earlier this month, Bristol City Council voted to ban diesel cars from the city centre during daytime from 2021 to cut the city’s air pollution, currently 1.2 times over the legal limit.

Now a study, by a campaign group, UK100, and King’s College London, has found high air pollution levels contribute to five people dying prematurely every week – up to 260 a year. An eight-year-old child (born in 2011) could die up to six months early if exposed over their lifetime to the expected future pollution levels in Bristol, it claimed.