It took just one week for London to breach the EU annual limit on NO2 emissions. On 8 January the London Air Quality Network confirmed that the hourly 200µgm3 (microgrammes per cubic metre) limit had been surpassed for the 16th time on Putney High Street, a busy shopping street situated just south of the Thames in Putney. The breach was recorded using air quality monitors on the street in question, and took place at 7am during the morning rush hour.
The UK has been in breach of EU NO2 pollution limits for the past five years and in April was ordered by the supreme court to publish an action plan on how to tackle the issue, following a challenge by environmental law group ClientEarth. This breach comes just weeks after details of the plan were announced.
