Fog and light winds push particulate pollution to very high levels in England

Still, foggy weather trapped pollution in urban areas of England after a weekend of fireworks, bonfires and Diwali celebrations, pushing particulate matter to “very high” levels on Monday. The readings matter because exposure to fine particles is linked to heart and lung disease and cancer, and can trigger symptoms for people with asthma or other lung conditions.

In the 24 hours to 10am, 11 monitoring sites, mainly in London and Greater Manchester, reached the highest band of the government’s 10-point index; another 27 recorded “high” levels. Hillingdon had the worst PM2.5 reading, averaging 129 micrograms per cubic metre over 24 hours, more than eight times the World Health Organization’s daily guideline. Clean air campaigners called for better forecasts, public health alerts and action to reduce pollution from domestic burning and transport; London issued a high pollution alert for Tuesday.