South Lanarkshire welcomes moves to help cut air pollution

Although air quality locally is generally good, there are a few hot spots receiving attention, surveys reveal.

Lanark has been declared a pollution alert zone after tests revealed some parts of the town are in danger of breaching legal traffic fume safety limits, and since January 1 last year, the town has been an official air quality management area where special measures can be taken to cut vehicle emissions, especially in streets where buildings on either side of the road create canyons.

South Lanarkshire Council is continuously monitoring air throughout its patch and working to improve its purity.

Now its efforts are being boosted by a special day to help people become aware of what they can do themselves.

In partnership with the Scottish Government, the council is backing the first National Clean Air Day, tomorrow, Thursday, June 15, to encourage people to help make progress towards cleaner air for Scotland.

Created by Global Action Plan, with support from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the campaign aims to make people aware of the simple actions that can be taken to improve health and reduce air pollution.

A range of toolkits and support materials have been developed to make participating in National Clean Air Day easy for communities and workplaces, and a dedicated health workers’ toolkit is also available for those who want to run campaigns in their communities calling on motorists not to leave their engines idling.

further information can be found on the campaign’s website at www.cleanairday.org.uk

Shirley Clelland, head of fleet and environmental services at the council, said: “This first national event is a boost to our work because it helps to raise awareness of the importance of air quality, the facts around it and the ways in which we can become engaged in improving it within South Lanarkshire and beyond.”