'Our air is dirtier than we're told'

London's filthy air is a lot worse than the Government cares to admit, a leading respiratory consultant claimed today.

Dr Barry Gray, a consultant physician at Kings College Hospital, said there is growing evidence to suggest that pollution is getting worse rather than improving. He said: "More people than ever are turning up with illnesses exacerbated by dirty air."

Dr Gray claimed that many monitoring stations are away from main roads and give an unrepresentative reading. "London is a pretty unhealthy place to live," he said.

"It has been estimated that 1,600 people die prematurely in the capital each year as a result of the poor air. If the same number of people were dying from salmonella, there would be a public outcry."