Clean Air Zone delay may have caused hundreds of deaths, claim campaigners

MORE than 200 people in Greater Manchester may have died due to air pollution since the Clean Air Zone was supposed to start, campaigners have claimed

- JOSEPH TIMAN

The controversial scheme which was set to come into force last year before it was delayed could have also prevented 496 days spent in hospital due to respiratory conditions if it cut pollution as intended, they argue.

Under the original Clean Air Zone plans, lorries, buses and coaches which did not meet emissions standards would have been charged £60 a day from the end of May 2022, while non-compliant vans, taxis and private hire vehicles were set to face daily penalties of £7.50 the following year. But the scheme which is still under review - was put on hold after a huge public backlash.

The Clean Air Zone was paused in early 2022 after the government agreed to push back the legal deadline for improving air quality.

At the time, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham argued that introducing the charges as planned would no longer have the desired effect as vehicle owners could not afford upgrades due to costs increasing massively following the pandemic.

But the Mums for Lungs campaign group claims that the Clean Air Zone could have helped prevent respiratory conditions caused by air pollution.

Research conducted by business lobby group CBI Economics in 2021 found that a 16 per cent reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) could prevent 155 deaths and save more than 350 days spent in hospital in Greater Manchester due to respiratory conditions each year.