High air pollution warning issued for London

In January the Centre for London called for drivers in the capital to be charged per mile

A high air pollution warning has been issued for London for the first time since August 2020, City Hall has said.

The Mayor of London warned that the capital is "importing pollution from the continent" alongside a build-up of local emissions.

An Imperial College London forecast said the capital would see a "further sustained import of particles" on Wednesday.

Sadiq Khan said the new pollution alert would be in place until Thursday.

Mr Khan has set out fresh proposals to tackle air pollution including a Workplace Parking Levy.

He also wants to strengthen monitoring of pollution from London's red routes, which make up 5% of London's roads but carry 30% of its traffic.

He said: "Toxic air is extremely dangerous for Londoners - and I'm doing everything in my power to tackle it.

"This is particularly important in order to protect those who are more vulnerable to high pollution."

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The mayor urged Londoners to walk, cycle or take public transport and avoid unnecessary car journeys.

In January, Mr Khan warned that London faces a crisis of "filthy air and gridlocked roads" unless car use is reduced.

He cited a report by traffic information supplier Inrix, which claimed London was the world's most congested city last year.

Mr Khan said unless more was done to deliver a sustainable future, the city would be replacing one public health crisis - Covid-19 - with another.

Figures show car usage is close to being back to pre-pandemic levels.

Zack Polanski, chair of the London Assembly environment committee, said: "We now have high pollution alerts and warnings, but we cannot just wring our hands and say to vulnerable people avoid going outside.

"It is unacceptable for anyone to fear going outside."