Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah: High Court action over girl's pollution death

Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah lived 25 metres from London's South Circular Road

A woman whose nine-year-old daughter became the first person in the UK to have air pollution recognised as a factor in her death is bringing a High Court claim against the government.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah's daughter Ella had a fatal asthma attack in 2013.

In 2020, Southwark Coroner's Court found that air pollution "made a material contribution" to Ella's death.

Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah has brought her claim to try to establish the "right to clean air", her lawyers say.

Ella, who lived 25 metres from the South Circular Road in Lewisham, south-east London, suffered the asthma attack after being exposed to excessive air pollution, coroner Philip Barlow concluded.

In a narrative verdict, he said the levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) near Ella's home had exceeded World Health Organization and European Union guidelines.

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The inquest heard that in the three years before Ella's death, she had multiple seizures and was admitted to hospital 27 times.

Her estate, for which Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah acts as administrator, is now suing three government departments for compensation over Ella's illness and premature death.

'No ordinary claim'

The personal injury case is "not about money", her lawyers say, but is focused on "seeking vindication for the death of Ella".

Ravi Mehta, representing Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, said in written arguments prepared for a preliminary hearing in London on Thursday that the case was "no ordinary personal injury claim".

He added: "The wider significance of the claim is obvious.

"If successful, it will be the first claim to establish what Rosamund has described as the right to clean air under the Human Rights Act."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for Transport and the Department of Health and Social Care are disputing the claim.

The government denies its actions "amount to a breach of human rights" and also denies that any such alleged breach, if proven, would be "causative of Ella's injuries and death".

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