Air quality laws should be obeyed in London 'now'

Calls for air quality laws to be fully complied with in London ahead of the 2012 Olympics have been made by an environmental organisation.

Activist group ClientEarth are concerned by the fact that London has the worst air quality in the country and some of the poorest in Europe, according to a London Assembly report into air quality in the capital that was published in May.

ClientEarth chief executive James Thornton said that the approach of the 2012 Olympics presents the government with a great chance of effectively resolving the issue.

"Poor air quality affects all Londoners, blights the lives of many and is the root cause of death for thousands," he said.

Air quality failures in the city are part of a wider national problem, ClientEarth's lobbyists maintain, with a 2007 Cabinet Office report revealing that every year up to £21 billion is spent on health problems caused by poor air quality in the UK.

Written by Joseph Hutton