Air Pollution Warning: Friday Will See High Levels In London

Rachel Holdsworth
By Rachel Holdsworth Last edited 107 months ago
Air Pollution Warning: Friday Will See High Levels In London

This was actually quite a nice day; shame about the smog.

Heads up — you might be loving this weather, but the flow of warm continental air is bringing with it some of Europe's industrial smog. Mixed with our own, home-grown, pollution, Friday is forecast to be rather nasty in terms of the air we breathe (today isn't going to be exactly brilliant, either). And there'll be a contribution from last year's popular news story, Saharan dust.

DEFRA has issued a pollution warning, saying levels are expected to be High on Friday — Very High levels are expected across parts of Kent and Sussex, but not in London. That said, keep an eye on the usual pollution hotspots near busy roads, as local buildups of particulates from diesel engines could make things even worse.

If you have respiratory or heart problems, you shouldn't do anything strenuous during an episode of High air pollution. Jogging or cycling won't be much fun even if you're completely healthy; in previous episodes it's felt like you can eat the air. (Don't look in the tissue if you blow your nose.) Unlike Paris, which last week took the decision to take half its cars off the road and make its cycle hire scheme free during a "pollution emergency", Londoners are told to just be a bit less energetic.

If you want future air pollution alerts sent directly to you, sign up to the Mayor's Breathe Better Together campaign — which we don't think goes anywhere near far enough.

Last Updated 09 April 2015