Council must improve air quality in Shropshire hotspots, says group

Last month the Shropshire Star revealed that Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth were among the West Midlands pollution hotspots, both having areas which exceeded national pollution limits.

Matthew Clark of Shropshire Council said much of the problem was due to the historic layout of the towns, which created traffic bottlenecks.

He said steps were being taken to address the problem. Mr Clark added that three areas of the county which previously had illegal pollution levels were now complying with the limits.

But Mike Richardson of Shrewsbury Friends of the Earth said the authority needed to do more to tackle the problem.

He said the main problem in Shrewsbury and Bridgnorth was nitrogen dioxide pollution, which comes mainly from diesel vehicles.

World Health Organisation reports and recent research showed that no amount of that pollution was safe, irrespective of legal limits, he added.

Mr Richardson said illegal emissions have existed in Shropshire since maximum limits were first imposed in 2010. "Some reductions have been seen, but nine years later the emissions remain high," he said.

Mr Richardson said since 2010 Shropshire Council had published several reviews of the air quality and proposed measures, but little of substance had been done.

"The geography of the areas is not going to change, it is something other places have and is not something new," he said.

"What has to change is the management of the vehicles at these important times. "It seems clear that Shropshire Council does not regard this as an emergency where they must take urgent measures and allocate more resources to the problem.

"We cannot continue to hope that the problem will go away while so many health problems are now known to arise from this pollution, especially to unborn babies and young children."

But Karen Collier, public health manager at Shropshire Council, said the authority recognised the effect air pollution had on public health and was committed to meeting its statutory air quality duties. She said the proposed Shrewsbury North West Relief Road proposal would reduce traffic in the town centre.

She said a computerised traffic-lights system which reacts to fluctuations in the number of vehicles had resulted in improvements.

Changing to parking charges aim to encourage visitors to park closer to the edge of town, while the impact on air quality was now considered as part of the planning process, she added.

“Reducing levels of air pollution is not easy and requires action across the community, the public sector and businesses to effect a real change," she said.