Traffic blamed for high nitrogen levels - council

Increasing electric vehicle charging opportunities is just one of the measures that could be taken to improve air pollution in Worcester

Traffic levels in Worcester are a leading cause of elevated levels of air pollution, say Worcester City Council.

The authority's conclusion comes as it is working with partners to create and Air Quality Action Plan.

It has acted following a review in 2018 that showed air quality in much of the city was generally good but a number of areas had higher levels of nitrogen dioxide.

Proposed measures to be taken include increasing electric vehicle charging points, improving cycling and walking infrastructure and discouraging heavy good vehicles from the city centre.

Lloyd Griffiths, the council's corporate director of operations, homes and communities, said: "This is an important document that maps out how we propose to make the air in Worcester cleaner.

“Working together with our partners we want to improve the air quality for everybody.”

A report on the proposed action plan is set to be considered by councillors at the city council’s Licensing and Environmental Health Committee on 22 May.

Councillors sitting on the Environment Committee will then be asked to approve the report for public consultation at a meeting on 6 June.

If the draft is approved, it will go out to statutory and public consultation for three months, allowing residents to give their views.

A final report will then be published and submitted to the government by the end of 2024.