Air pollution at Boston Bargate improving but monitoring will remain

Monitoring at Bargate Bridge would continue to ensure the air quality remains in line with guidance, Boston Borough Council said

Air quality is no longer a concern in a formerly-polluted area of Lincolnshire after targets were met for five years.

Bargate Bridge in Boston has been monitored for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels since 2005.

But after the traffic-heavy area met targets for five years in a row an Air Quality Management Plan is set to be revoked. 

The improvement is thought to be due to more efficient vehicle engines and cleaner fuels.

Monitoring at Bargate Bridge would continue to ensure that the air quality remained in line with guidance, the council said.

A report going before Boston Borough Council stated the Covid-19 lockdown was not thought to have skewed air-pollution data. 

Nitrogen dioxide levels in the town's other Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) at Haven Bridge have also fallen, but remain above statutory levels, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Regular exposure to even low levels of air pollution may cause changes to the heart similar to those in the early stages of heart failure, experts say.

A study of 4,000 people in the UK in 2018, by a team of scientists at Queen Mary University of London, found those who lived by loud, busy roads had larger hearts on average than those living in less polluted areas.

This was despite the fact people in the study were exposed to pollution levels below the UK guidelines.

A report going before Boston Borough Council states: "Air quality in terms of Nitrogen Dioxide which is directly associated with road traffic has improved since declaration of the AQMAs has now been achieved for the last 5 years."

Cabinet is expected to approve the end of the AQMA at a meeting on 17 January.