Pollution at danger levels

The worsening air pollution problem in London was highlighted today in a report.

Levels of nitrogen dioxide, which causes coughing fits and can worsen asthma, were above recommended levels in nearly half of the London boroughs.

The European Union has set a target to cut by 2010 the average amount of polluting particles in the atmosphere. In the City of London, the most polluted borough, this would mean reducing the level by a third.

London is known for being Europe's most polluted major city. Now a borough-by-borough analysis shows 16 of the 33 boroughs are above the EU air pollution target.

The largely affluent central areas of Kensington and Chelsea and Islington were among the worst for air quality.

The figures, published in the May issue of The London Magazine, are part of an investigation into the capital's green credentials that also ranked councils according to their recycling performance, green spaces and the number of cycle paths.

Inner-London areas like Hackney, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster came bottom, with the City of London faring worst of all.

The Square Mile has less than one square kilometre of green space. While Bexley recycles nearly 30,000 tonnes of waste a year, the City sends all but 1,011 tonnes of its rubbish to landfills and incinerators. Hackney and Tower Hamlets, which have considerably larger populations than the City's 8,000 residents, are not far behind with 1,073 and 2,151 tonnes a year each.

Even more middle-class areas such as Islington and Hammersmith and Fulham are towards the bottom of the recycling table.

Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes said the capital had a long way to go before reaching acceptable environmental standards. He said: "There is a massive shortfall in recycling rates across the whole of the capital and NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) levels have been on the increase in the last year."

On the positive side, Bromley emerged as London's greenest borough with neighbouring Bexley as runner-up.

"This is our winning factor," said Bromley's environmental chairman George Taylor. "People move here because of the open spaces, the parks, the emphasis on being a green borough."

Thanks to parks like Crystal Palace, Bromley has the most green space, with 85 square kilometres in total. It now recycles 21 per cent of household waste and collects green boxes from 112,000 households.

A spokesman for the City of London said: "As we are the smallest London borough it's not surprising that we have the least amount of green space and cycle paths.

"We recycle 14.5 per cent of household waste and also spend £13 million a year maintaining green spaces outside of the square mile, including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest."