20 July 2011 – Keith Taylor, the Green MEP for Kent and the South East, will bring his new air pollution campaign to Canterbury on Wednesday 20 July. He will meet with people from the local campaign group ‘Canterbury for Clean Air’ which is featured in his new air pollution report. Council air pollution figures show that Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels in the city are regularly exceeding the government target, which is set to protect our health.

Keith will be distributing his report, ‘Air Pollution: The Invisible Killer’, which he has produced to raise public awareness of air pollution and its damaging health impacts. ‘Air Pollution: The Invisible Killer’ explains how air pollution is created, how widespread the problem is, how it affects our health and how pollution can be reduced. Later in the day he will visit St Thomas’ Catholic Primary School to raise his concerns with parents about poor air quality and its effect on children’s health.

Keith will also be calling on local people to write to Kent County Council to ask them to do more to tackle this invisible public health crisis. Earlier in the day Keith will meet with Paul Carter, the Leader of Kent County Council and will raise his concerns about poor air quality in the city.

Parts of Broad Street and Military Road, Canterbury are covered by an ‘Air Quality Management Area’ because the government approved level for the harmful pollutant, Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), is being exceeded. Canterbury City Council declared an ‘Air Quality Management Area’ in 2006. Recent data has found that levels of nitrogen dioxide are exceeding the targets in St.Dunstan’s Street, North Lane, St.Peter’s Place, Rheims Way, Wincheap and Sturry Road. The council must now declare more ‘Air Quality Management Areas’ to the UK government to reflect that the pollution problem is getting worse.

Keith said: “The right to breathe clean air is fundamental. Yet thousands of lives in Canterbury and across the South East are being shortened because air is heavily polluted in many places, mostly by traffic. Government data shows that air pollution contributes to over 200,000 premature deaths every year in the UK. This is an invisible public health crisis which urgently needs to be tackled.”

“I’m pleased to be joining campaigners from ‘Canterbury for Clean Air’ today. They’re a great example of how people can join together to take action to clean up our air and that’s why I’ve chosen to highlight their work in my new air pollution report. In my meeting with Kent County Council I will be calling on them to invest more in public transport and to encourage people to walk and cycle. Only by making it easier for people to be less dependent on their cars will we start to improve the air around us and make our cities more healthy and pleasant places to live and work.”

Emily Shirley, a member of Canterbury for Clean Air said: “Decision makers and the public in Canterbury need to know how dangerous air pollution is and that so many people are dying prematurely because of it. This timely publication is what we’ve been waiting for. It will help us to raise awareness of the issue and hopefully it will lead to the necessary action being taken to improve our streets.”

Keith is taking his campaign to Southampton, Winchester, Hampshire’s ‘Little Green Gathering’, Oxford, Reading, Maidstone, Canterbury, Redhill and Hove.

ENDS