Air pollution causes more than one in 20 deaths in Oxford, new figures show.

Campaigners have criticised the Government's slow response to "dangerous fine particle air pollution", and urged it to bring the UK's air quality targets in line with global health advice.

June 20th is National Clean Air Day, which is an opportunity for people to write to their local councillors and MPs to express concerns regarding their local area's air quality.

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Office for Health Improvement and Disparities figures show air pollution was responsible for 6.3 per cent of the deaths of people in Oxford aged over 30 in 2022.

This was up from 5.7 per cent the year before, but was below pre-pandemic levels of 7.6 per cent.

Imogen Martineau, head of UK portfolio at the Clean Air Fund, said the UK is "going in the wrong direction in tackling air pollution".

The Government says it wants to halve pollution levels of fine particles to reach an annual mean concentration of 10 micrograms per cubic metre by 2040.

The World Health Organization's current advice says this figure should be no more than five micrograms per cubic metre.

Ms Martineau said policymakers must work towards the WHO's air quality guidelines, adding: "It’s time to recognise the co-benefits which clean air can bring – better health, action on climate change, and improved economies."

The figures showed significant regional inequality across England, with 17 of the 18 areas with the worst air pollution death rates in London. 

Friends of the Earth said the Government "is not acknowledging" the dangers of air pollution.

A government spokesperson said: "We have delivered significant reductions in emissions – with fine particulate matter falling by 24 per cent, and nitrogen oxides down by 48 per cent.

"We also met our targets to reduce emissions for all five key pollutants in the latest reporting year."