New Legal Threat Over UK Air Pollution

Around 40,000 people are estimated to die prematurely every year in the UK because of bad air quality.

In April the Supreme Court ruled an immediate plan was needed after the UK breached EU limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2).The government said it was committed to cleaning the air and had delivered its plans accordingly.

ClientEarth says the government can and must do better, and it believes the courts will back it again unless the government improves its current policies.

But environmental law firm Client Earth, which took the original case, said the plans still do not protect health.

The UK government has been warned to drastically reduce air pollution or face renewed legal action.The firm has given ministers 10 days to respond.