A PAIR of High Street roads in Stourbridge have been highlighted as two of the most polluted places in the Black Country.

Quarry Bank High Street and Wordsley High Street have levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) significantly above acceptable limits, a Friends of the Earth air quality audit has revealed.

The annual averages of the high streets in Quarry Bank (54.6ug/m3) and Wordsley (50ug/m3) were both well above the objective safety level of 40ug/m3.

Altogether, almost 2,000 locations nationally have breached the Air Quality Objective levels, including 218 in the West Midlands.

Of those, many are in Birmingham or Coventry although neighbouring Dudley has the second most polluted spot in the West Midlands and one of the worst in the country outside of London – the A459 Halesowen Road in Netherton.

Its annual average was 74.1ug/m3, nearly double the objective of 40ug/m3 – with only Holyhead Road in Coventry (75.6ug/m3) recording higher levels of air pollution in the county.

Dudley ranks as the third worst offender of the seven boroughs that make up the West Midlands Combined Authority – with only Birmingham (46) and Coventry (28) home to more pollution hotspots.

A leading cause of NO2 pollution is road traffic emissions – and high levels of the gas, which irritates the lungs, can cause breathing difficulties, coughing and flare-ups of conditions such as asthma.

Friends of the Earth is campaigning for Clean Air Zones to be rolled out in far more places than are currently being planned, supported by measures such as improved infrastructure to support safe cycling and walking.

Chris Crean, West Midlands campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “It’s unforgivable to see many locations across the region over air quality limits, leaving thousands of us breathing dangerously polluted air.

“Air pollution is often an issue thought of as affecting only the biggest cities. The reality is that unacceptably toxic air can be found across much of the UK, even in smaller towns.

“It is harming the health of people across the country and is especially bad for young children whose lungs are still developing.

“The government needs to step up and do more to deal with this air pollution crisis – they can’t just carry on leaving the difficult decisions with local authorities, many of which are severely under-resourced.”

Councillor Cathy Bayton, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said: “Improving air quality is a priority for Dudley Council.

"We have applied for funding from the Government and were awarded a grant of over £1.5 million in February 2019 which we will use to reduce emissions from buses that travel through areas of poor air quality.

“The money will also be used to make improvements to highways so that traffic flows more freely, which is known to improve air quality. These improvements will take place around Castle Gate and Burnt Tree and Wordsley High Street within the next two years.

“We are also working with the West Midlands Combined Authority to improve public transport in the borough to reduce reliance on cars and the delivery of the Metro extension to Brierley Hill has the potential to reduce car use in the borough.

“We know that children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of poor air quality and the council is also purchasing mobile air quality sensors to monitor air quality around schools. We will use this information to work with schools, children and parents to develop and implement school specific air quality improvement plans.”