Breathing in dirty air can increase the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer, and concern over these health risks has prompted many cities across the UK to introduce or plan low emission zones.
The Indices of Multiple Deprivation, published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, measures local deprivation levels by analysing various factors affecting communities, such as income, health, crime and pollution levels.
The pollution data, published in 2019, estimates the concentration of four pollutants – nitrogen dioxide, benzene, sulphur dioxide and particulates – all of which can cause ill health. The higher the score, the higher the levels of air pollution in the local area. The figures show wide geographical variations in how clean the air is around the country.
How does your local area compare? Here we reveal the neighbourhoods in Leeds with the highest levels of air pollution.
13. Lincoln Green and St James
The Lincoln Green and St James’s neighbourhood also had an air pollution score of 1.22 Photo: National World
14. Woodhouse and Little London
The Woodhouse and Little London neighbourhood scored 1.21 Photo: James Hardisty