The air quality is monitored at numerous locations around the city, with figures published by Leeds City Council in its Air Quality Annual Status Report.
Unlike many councils, Leeds City Council does not appear to have published its latest report in full online.
But an executive summary is available on the council website, listing the levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at 11 locations around the city.
Below are the areas of Leeds with the worst air pollution based on this data, listed in reverse order.
At all of these locations, NO2 levels are above the World Health Organisation’s recommended limit of 10 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) - in most cases, significantly so.
At one spot, the concentration of NO2 matches the legal threshold in the UK of 40 µg/m3.
It should be noted that figures have actually been published for 12 air quality monitoring sites around Leeds, but since two of those are at Leeds Corn Exchange, we have counted this as a single site in our list.
1. Temple Newsam - 12th
Temple Newsam is the least polluted of the 11 locations for which Leeds City Council has published air quality data. The 12 µg/m3 annual mean concentration of nitrogen dioxide recorded there in 2023 is just above the WHO's recommended limit. | Google Photo: Google
2. Kirkstall Road - joint 9th
Kirkstall Road is the joint 9th most polluted of the 11 locations for which Leeds City Council has published air quality data. The 19 µg/m3 annual mean concentration of nitrogen dioxide recorded there in 2023 is nearly double the WHO's recommended limit. | Google Photo: Google
3. Leeds city centre - joint 9th
Leeds city centre is the joint 9th most polluted of the 11 locations for which Leeds City Council has published air quality data. The 19 µg/m3 annual mean concentration of nitrogen dioxide recorded there in 2023 is nearly double the WHO's recommended limit. | Google Photo: Google
4. Headingley - 8th
Headingley is the 8th most polluted of the 11 locations for which Leeds City Council has published air quality data. The 21 µg/m3 annual mean concentration of nitrogen dioxide recorded there in 2023 is just over twice the WHO's recommended limit. | Google Photo: Google
5. Tilbury Terrace - 7th
Tilbury Terrace, in Holbeck, is the 7th most polluted of the 11 locations for which Leeds City Council has published air quality data. The 23 µg/m3 annual mean concentration of nitrogen dioxide recorded there in 2020 is just over twice the WHO's recommended limit. It should be noted that no data for this location has been published for the years 2021, 2022 or 2023, so the air quality may well have improved there as it has elsewhere, though there is no evidence this is the case. | Google Photo: Google
6. Abbey Road - 6th
Abbey Road is the 6th most polluted of the 11 locations for which Leeds City Council has published air quality data. The 29 µg/m3 annual mean concentration of nitrogen dioxide recorded there in 2023 is just under three times the WHO's recommended limit. | Google Photo: Google