Earlier this year, the European Commission put on hold infringement proceedings by granting the UK until June 11 to submit a revised air quality plan in order to tackle air pollution.  The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) met on the date of the deadline set by the European Commission to submit a revised air quality plan for the capital.

It is expected that the revised plan will include details of a £5m grant announced by the Department for Transport in April some of which could be used to roll out further trials of dust suppressant technologies.

Murad Qureshi, Labour’s environment spokesman on the London Assembly, said: "The existing dust suppressant trials in some of the most polluted parts of London haven’t stopped smog alerts happening two months ago in London.  There are simply too many polluting cars on the road.  If Boris Johnson hadn’t abolished the Western Extension Zone and delayed the next phase of the Low emission zone applying to the most polluting vehicles, then it may well have been a very different story by now”

Murad continues:

“All this comes at the same time as it emerged last week in a government consultation document that London is on course to miss the EU deadline for reducing nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels leading to even more fines”

If the Commission are not happy with the revised plan, then the capital faces a fine of up to £300m for previously breaching annual limits for the emission of PM10 standards.

Ends

Notes

Murad Qureshi is a London-wide Assembly Member and is Chair of the Assembly’s Environment Committee.

For further information please contact Nikki Salih on 020 7983 4400