Scots gasping for fresh air

Scotland's most polluted streets have been named by environmental campaigners, Friends of the Earth Scotland, from official data. The environmental group said air pollution was linked to thousands of deaths in Scotland each year.

The annual average European legal limit for nitrogen dioxide, which is linked to asthma and other respiratory problems, is set at 40 microgrammes per cubic metre. But new research from Friends of the Earth Scotland, collected from official monitoring stations, says it was breached on streets across the country in 2015.

It listed annual average levels as:

St. John's Road Edinburgh: 65 microgrammes

Hope Street Glasgow: 60 microgrammes

Seagate, Dundee: 50 microgrammes

Atholl Street, Perth: 48 microgrammes

Lochee Road, Dundee: 48 microgrammes

Union Street, Aberdeen: 46 microgrammes

Queensferry Road, Edinburgh: 41 microgrammes

Wellington Road, Aberdeen: 41 microgrammes

Friends of the Earth Scotland also collected data on particulate matter - tiny particles which are pumped into the air by diesel vehicles. It said streets in Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Perth, Glasgow, Dundee, Falkirk and Rutherglen failed to meet Scottish air quality standards.

Friends of the Earth Scotland air pollution campaigner Emilia Hanna, said: "Air pollution causes 2,000 early deaths in Scotland every year - it's a serious public health crisis and tackling it should be a top priority for the Scottish government."