Putney High Street has been revealed as one of London’s most polluted areas, with illegally high levels of Nitrogen Dioxide.

The area’s busiest road came in second and third place in a survey of pollution hotpots, despite a national lockdown instructing people to drive less.

According to the Evening Standard, 10 monitoring sites at pollution epicentres in London are registering average levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) far above the 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air allowed by UK law.

The highest levels are currently in Brixton Road, with an average reading of 58 µg/m3 since the start of the year.

Locations on Putney High Street - by Montserrat Rd and near the river - and Clapham’s Lavender Hill follow closely behind.

Putney MP Fleur Anderson criticised the government’s inaction in a Parliament debate this week.

She said: “The voice of constituents and civil society has been deafening. We are in a climate emergency and this Bill does not go far enough.

“Putney High Street is one of the most polluted streets in the UK. The Environment Bill in its current form is a shameful missed opportunity by Ministers to tackle pollution levels.

“If urgent action is not taken by the Government to reduce air pollution, 550,000 Londoners will develop diseases attributable to air pollution over the next 30 years. The cumulative cost to the NHS and social care system in London is estimated to be £10.4 billion.”

“The Government continue to drag their feet on the climate change and this sub-standard Bill, already badly delayed, will face even more lengthy delays before passing. I will be pressing Ministers to use this delay to make improvements to the Bill to enable more action on important areas of air quality, water, waste and chemicals.”