WE'RE FUMING

CLEAN AIR CAMPAIGNERS' ANGER AS TRAFFIC POLLUTION RISES IN SOME PARTS OF REGION

- JOSEPH TIMAN

AIR pollution has increased in parts of Greater Manchester but transport bosses still insist that a Clean Air Zone is not necessary.

Plans to cut pollution through a Clean Air Zone, which would have charged some motorists a daily fee to drive on the region's roads, were dramatically paused in 2022 and remain 'under review.

Local leaders now say that no charges on motorists are needed.

Instead, they have put forward an alternative plan which involves spending £51m on new electric and cleaner diesel buses, reducing traffic around the city centre and offering grants for vehicle upgrades.

They argue this will bring pollution down quicker than charges.

Transport bosses insist that air pollution is falling in Greater Manchester.

But last year, there were still 64 sites across the city-region where nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were above legal limits last year - and in some cases, the level has increased since 2022.

Government data reveals that the highest level of NO2 recorded in Greater Manchester last year was higher than the year before, rising from 54 micrograms per cubic metre to 55.

The legal limit in the UK, which the city-region must meet no later than 2026, is 40.