Pollution cloud 'a danger to millions'

A two-mile thick cloud of toxic pollution is threatening millions of lives from Afghanistan to Sri Lanka - and could spread to Europe.

Known as the Asian Brown Cloud, the mixture of ash, acids, aerosols and other particles is damaging agriculture and changing rainfall patterns across South Asia, according to a UN study.

It said that without work to cut pollution levels, the radically altered rainfall patterns would put the lives of millions at risk from drought and flooding.

UN Environment Programme chief Klaus Toepfer said the cloud was the result of forest fires, burning of agricultural wastes, dramatic increases in the burning of fossil fuels, and emissions from millions of inefficient cookers.

The cloud was also making rain acidic, damaging crops and trees, and threatening hundreds of thousands of people with respiratory disease.

The news came as forecasters said London's mercurial summer was set for another switch.

After torrential downpours caused flooding last week, the sun is predicted to break through, with temperatures nudging towards 27C - the magic 80F - on Wednesday, and hotting up again in time for the weekend.