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New air quality website highlights Hennef Way as one of the most polluted in the county
25/10/2023
Pollution levels are noted as very high
A new Oxfordshire air quality website has confirmed that Banbury has one of the most polluted roads in the county.
Average levels of Nitrogen Dioxide on Hennef Way stood at 67.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022. The figure is noted as “very high” and up from 58.6 in 2021 and 57.9 in 2020.
These are amongst the highest figures in the county.
The website shows air pollution as mid-range in Banbury Town Centre and on Ermont way, but other areas are recorded as low.
The website, oxonair.uk, has been created in a partnership between Oxfordshire County Council, Cherwell District Council and the other district and city councils. It aims to integrate air quality-related information in Oxfordshire under one single platform.
Some areas in the county offer real time data, but Cherwell only uses monitors which provide averaged data once each year.
Air pollution has been found to particularly impact the most vulnerable members of society, such as those from minority backgrounds, the young, old and those experiencing health issues.
Across Oxfordshire in 2021 it was estimated that air pollution’s effect on mortality was equivalent to 320 early deaths.
Councillor Michael O’Connor, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, said: “There is no safe level of air pollution according to the World Health Organisation. It damages our health at any level and its effects are often lethal: up to 40,000 deaths are attributable to air pollution in the UK every year.
“Although air pollution affects all of us, the burden doesn’t fall evenly. Children, older people, and those with health conditions are more likely to be harmed by it. Areas that are less well-off are often home to higher levels of pollution and those living in them suffer more severely from its health impacts.”
Councillor Andrew McHugh, Cherwell District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Cleaner and Greener Communities, said: “We welcome the addition of a new community website that will allow residents to access more information on the air pollution levels in the district. Our Environmental Protection Officers work to monitor the air quality across Cherwell which helps us to ensure that it is at and remains at a good level.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam