Scunthorpe: Sudden pollution spike hits town's air quality

The pollution spike in Scunthorpe was short-lived and air quality is back to more normal levels

The air quality in a North Lincolnshire town was rated the worst in the country last week after a spike in pollution.

For two days running, air monitoring sites in Scunthorpe reported a rise in particle pollution above what health organisations consider safe.

On Wednesday, air pollution in the town was rated at level 10, which is the highest level, due to high levels of microscopic particle matter.

The sudden pollution's source was not found and the rate has since fallen.

Air Quality England publishes the figures from council monitoring sites and rates air quality from level one, the best, to 10, the worst.

On both Wednesday and Friday last week, a monitoring station between Brigg Road and Queensway in Scunthorpe recorded several spikes in what is known as PM10.

This is tiny particle matter less than 10 microns wide, which is five times smaller than a human hair, and it can be inhaled into the lungs, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Other harmful gases which are monitored, including sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, did not increase during the same period, the figures showed.

During the peak periods last week, air pollution levels in Scunthorpe stood at about three times what the World Health Organization (WHO) considers safe for people with health problems.

Exposure to high levels can cause respiratory and heart problems in vulnerable people.

It is not clear what was behind the release of the particles.

The town's air quality has since improved, and was rated at level three at 06:00 GMT on Tuesday.

Scunthorpe was named one of the most polluted UK towns in a WHO report in 2018.