Air pollution alerts to be displayed across London

The alerts will be displayed on high pollution days from 15 August

Air quality alerts will be introduced across the capital during the worst incidents of air pollution, The Mayor of London has announced.

Notices will be displayed at bus stops, river pier stops, Tube stations and on road signs, from 15 August.

Sadiq Khan said he hoped the warnings would "become less and less frequent" as pollution is reduced.

The Supreme Court ruled in April that London's air quality breaches European clean air rules.

A mock-up of how the road-side warning sign will look

A Clear Air consultation launched by Mr Khan in July revealed 79% of people wanted to be told when pollution was high.

The warnings will be displayed the day before and during high pollution days at 2,500 bus countdown and river pier signs, the entrances to all 270 Tube stations and on 140 roadside dot matrix signs.

Mr Khan said it was the first step towards London putting in place a comprehensive air pollution incident plan.

"I believe that Londoners have a right to know about the quality of the air that they breathe," he said.

The mayor has proposed a series of measures to tackle the problem, including introducing charges for the most polluting vehicles in the Congestion Charge Zone.

Professor Paul Monks, chairman of the Air Quality Expert Group, said the signs would help people understand the scale of the air pollution problem.

"Information is a good thing. The next big step is to make sure policies benefit both air quality and climate change," he added.

Leon Daniels, from Transport for London, said the alerts were an important part of the group's work to improve air quality.

A more detailed consultation will take place later this year and some measures could be implemented as early as 2017.