Darren Johnson, AM has written to the European Commission about the failure of London to meet air pollution limits in 2011. Provisional figures from the Neasden Lane monitoring site show that it now recorded more than the 35 bad air days allowed for PM10. The UK government was granted an extra air pollution allowance this year, as part of a time extension.
However, the UK government does not recognise the existence of the Neasden Lane monitoring station when reporting air pollution to Europe, claiming that such monitoring sites ‘may not’ meet the European technical criteria for reporting. Dr Gary Fuller of Kings College London, the organisation which runs the London air quality monitoring network, was quoted in the Times in January 2011 as saying that the Neasden Lane site does meet the criteria.
Darren Johnson AM said:
"This has been one of the worst years for air pollution since the pollution spike in 2003. The only thing which has stopped the UK being subject to legal proceedings at the European court has been the loop hole within the time extension, which allows the mayor to pollute more this year than in previous years. Even with this escape clause, London’s air pollution has tipped over the allowed number of bad air days."
"The UK and the Mayor are only likely to avoid being taken to court and to get away with an appalling failure on air pollution because they are refusing to give the European Commission the full picture. That leaves Londoners breathing in polluted air around Neasden and throughout large areas of the capital."