Petrol and diesel drivers targeted in new pollution crackdown with new air quality sensors rolled out

The sensors hope to increase air quality monitoring outside homes, schools, hospitals and sports centres after reports highlighted how particles produced by tyres exacerbate long-term health conditions, including asthma, coronary heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.

Research found that around 2,300 people die early due to long term exposure to air pollution in the West Midlands alone.

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West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said: “On my first day as Mayor, I met a group of schoolchildren who made a powerful case for more action to tackle air pollution to improve their health and protect their futures.

“These new sensors are just the latest tool in our fight against pollution and will give our communities real-world information about the quality of the air they are breathing.

“That information will also tell them the main sources of pollution in their area and what they can do to improve air quality.”

The sensors will be funded by £1.5million Government grant which has been made available to help boost the air quality monitoring that is already carried out by local councils.

The data will be used to better understand pollution trends and levels to target investment where it is most needed, the Mayor explained.

Kevin Tranter, chief operating officer at Dudley Academies Trust, which includes Pegasus Academy, said the new measures were crucial since his school is on a main road.

He added: “Our learners have rightly identified air quality as among the sustainability and environmental issues that are really important to them.”

The need for cleaner air comes after reports found that in 2022, 31.3 billion miles were travelled by vehicles across the 20,000 miles of roads in West Midlands.

The combined authority explained that air pollution is caused when particles and gases get mixed up in the air. This happens when Britons burn fuels from cars, industrial processes and solid fuel-burning appliances.

Maddy Dawe, regional air quality lead at Asthma + Lung UK, stated: “Gathering data is crucial to improve our understanding of air pollution hotspots so that urgent measures to tackle toxic air can be put in place.

“We hope the data from the sensors will be used to introduce targeted interventions to protect children’s lung health and the most vulnerable communities, providing them with cleaner air and a healthier future.”

The combined authority warned: “Addressing air quality issues as a region and working in a collaborative way has the potential for significant improvements to air quality that will benefit public health.

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“We are working alongside local authorities, and other important stakeholders, to understand how we can work together to deliver our regional vision.”