To everyone's surprise (except to locals who breathe the air), the picturesque village of Chideock has been named the most polluted hotspot in England, just ahead of a taxi rank in Sheffield where diesel-spewing taxis queue.
The honor(?) came after the local air quality monitoring site was moved to the village's main hill, where the nitrogen dioxide levels increase sharply as drivers accelerate up the hill. Local residents say that the worst offenders are heavy trucks on the A35 highway and swarms of tourist cars.
Chideock is one of 1,360 sites across England where the NO2 levels exceed the air quality limit of 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air. Chideock Hill recorded an annual average level of 97.7 micrograms. All of the other top ten were located in large cities and towns, including four in London.
The 'winners' are listed below:
- Chideock Hill, West Dorset 97.7
- Station Taxi Rank, Sheffield 91.7
- North Street Clock Tower, Brighton 90.8
- Neville Street Tunnel, Leeds 88
- Strand, City of Westminster 88
- Walbrook Wharf, City of London 87
- Hickleton opp Fir Tree Close, Doncaster 86
- Marylebone Road, City of Westminster 85
- Euston Road, London Borough of Camden 82.3
- Hickleton, John O’Gaunts, Doncaster 82
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