Putney High Street has recorded an 80 per cent drop in nitrogen dioxide pollution episodes, the bigger improvement in air quality anywhere in London.

In January it took only eight days to breach annual air pollution limits for nitrogen dioxide emissions.

The number of times the hourly nitrogen dioxide limit was breached on the high street has now fallen from 1726 in 2012, to 336 in 2015.

May 29: Sadiq Khan to probe NO2 pollution as report reveals link between deprivation and poor air quality

Jan 8: Putney High Street exceeds harmful gas emission just eight days into the year

Wandsworth Council said it is keen to stress that "there is still a long way to go before air quality levels reach a safe and acceptable level".

The council has been under pressure to improve air quality in the centre of Putney and has implemented a number of schemes to bring the pollution levels under control.

These include granting civil enforcement officers the powers to fine drivers for idling, working to reduce the air quality impacts from building work, improvements to street layouts and traffic signals to ease queuing, and restrictions on delivery vehicles stopping to unload.

The council are also hoping to turn Putney High Street into "London’s first ‘clean bus corridor'" with the introduction of fleets of low emission hybrid buses on routes that go via along the narrow road.

Deputy council leader Jonathan Cook stated that the council is "committed to maintaining the momentum we’ve made in Putney".

He said: “We’ve made good progress on Putney High Street but now is the time to intensify our efforts here and in other pollution hotspots.

"That’s why we have approved a series of new council-led initiatives and we want TfL and the new Mayor of London to work with us on a series of new partnership interventions like establishing Putney as London’s first ‘clean bus corridor’ used exclusively by ultra-low emission buses including hydrogen powered models.

“The council has installed the city’s most sophisticated and comprehensive pollution and traffic monitoring system on this high street so there is no better place to trial new measures and prove they can work."