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London facing ‘very high’ air pollution alert for first time

Pedestrians walk through fog as they cross Southwark Bridge, backdropped by St Paul's Cathedral, in London on January 23, 2017. (Photos by AFP)

The mayor of the British capital has issued a "very high" air pollution warning for the first time while other cities across the country are also suffering from a high level of pollutants.

"The shameful state of London's toxic air today has triggered a 'very high' air pollution alert under my new air quality warning system," London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in a tweet on Monday.

London’s air pollution was also assigned the "black" level, the highest as defined by an air monitoring team at King's College London.

Traffic pollution and smoke from burning wood along with a build-up of pollution from Europe have been stated as the causes of the rise, which is expected to continue up to Tuesday.

The mayor urged residents to use public transportation in an effort to put an end to the situation.

According to Airtext, which monitors London's air quality, a “very high” pollution level demands most people to "reduce physical exertion, particularly outdoors, especially if you experience symptoms such as cough or sore throat."

“This is a particularly bad pollution episode,” said Timothy Baker of the environmental research group at King’s College London. “The peak we saw [on Sunday] night was the highest since April 2011 as an average across London.”

Last week, the mayor had warned of a "public health emergency" in the wake of a rise in pollution in central London.


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