Fires \'worsen Athens air quality\'

While Athens is no stranger to poor air quality, environmental experts believe that the latest fires to rage in forests around the city will affect local residents for years, it has been reported.

The Greek capital has long suffered from a lack of open spaces, but this was recently exacerbated when fires damaged around 15,000 hectares of woodland in the area, according to AFP.

Dimitris Karavellas, who is responsible for the Greek arm of the WWF Network, the world’s leading environmental organisation, which was founded in 1961, said that such scales of fire have never been seen before in the region.

"We have lost a precious filter to freshen up our air," he stated.

"The climate is going to get worse again, the temperature will rise and the quality of life of all Athenians is going to be affected."

Local governor Leonidas Kouris agreed, describing the wildfires as "disaster" for the environment.

Written by Claire Manning