Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for a ban on trendy wood burning stoves in a bid to combat air pollution in parts of the capital.
Mr Khan has written to environment secretary Michael Gove requesting extra powers to improve air quality in the city just 24-hours after the pollution level was raised to ‘High’.
Proposals include measures to take on solid fuel burning and pollution from building sites.
Wood-burning stoves would be banned in urban areas amid fears the popular household features are responsible for between a quarter and a third of all of London’s fine particle pollution, research by King's College London showed.
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Scientists found that in January, when pollution levels soared to ‘Very High’ in the capital, stoves caused half of all toxic emissions.
Minimum emissions standards for vessels using the capital’s waterways and heavy machinery including diggers and bulldozers look set to be introduced.
Mr Khan said in a statement: “Non-transport sources contribute half of the deadly emissions in London, so we need a hard-hitting plan of action to combat them similar to moves I am taking to reduce pollution from road vehicles.
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“With more than 400 schools located in areas exceeding legal pollution levels, and such significant health impacts on our most vulnerable communities, we cannot wait any longer, and I am calling on government to provide the capital with the necessary powers to effectively tackle harmful emissions from a variety of sources.”
On Wednesday, the mayor triggered an air quality alert for London for the seventh time since his election last year.