SEVERAL busy routes in Halesowen, Oldbury and Blackheath are recording air pollution levels above safe limits, new figures have revealed.

An air quality audit released by Friends of the Earth reveals that four sites in Halesowen, six in Oldbury and two in Blackheath have exceeded acceptable nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels.

Dudley Road in Oldbury is the most polluted of those sites, recording an annual average of 47.4ug/m3, well above the objective level of 40ug/m3.

Five locations on the busy A457 Birmingham Road in Oldbury also exceeded the safe levels, as do Gorsty Hill Road in Blackheath and Blackheath High Street.

Four sites on the A458 out of Halesowen are also among the pollution hotspots – Stourbridge Road just outside the town centre and three locations on Windmill Hill near Colley Gate.

Altogether, almost 2,000 locations nationally have breached the Air Quality Objective levels, including 218 in the West Midlands.

Of those, many are in Birmingham or Coventry although neighbouring Dudley has the second most polluted spot in the West Midlands and one of the worst in the country outside of London – the A459 Halesowen Road in Netherton.

Its annual average was 74.1ug/m3, nearly double the objective of 40ug/m3 – with only Holyhead Road in Coventry (75.6ug/m3) recording higher levels of air pollution in the county.

A leading cause of NO2 pollution is road traffic emissions – and high levels of the gas, which irritates the lungs, can cause breathing difficulties, coughing and asthma flare-ups.

Chris Crean, West Midlands campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “It’s unforgivable to see many locations across the region over air quality limits, leaving thousands of us breathing dangerously polluted air.

“Air pollution is often an issue thought of as affecting only the biggest cities. The reality is that unacceptably toxic air can be found across much of the UK, even in smaller towns.

“It is harming the health of people across the country and is especially bad for young children whose lungs are still developing.

“The government needs to step up and do more to deal with this air pollution crisis – they can’t just carry on leaving the difficult decisions with local authorities, many of which are severely under-resourced.”

Sandwell Council and Dudley Council both say they are attempting to lessen air pollution.

Councillor Elaine Costigan, chair of the Air Quality Working Group in Sandwell, said: “Sandwell’s location at the heart of the motorway network and high volumes of traffic mean that vehicles are the main source of air pollution in Sandwell.

“Although newer vehicles are fitted with improved emission controls, there are still some roads in the borough where concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are not decreasing as quickly as we would like.

“We are working with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Transport for West Midlands to reduce pollution from buses in Sandwell and with Birmingham City Council to ensure that the proposed Clean Air Zone does not adversely affect the people of Sandwell.

“A review of pollution and traffic data is currently being undertaken and we are considering what steps we can take to reduce emissions from our own vehicles as well as from taxis and private hire vehicles licensed by the council.

“The results of this work, together with proposals to encourage alternative forms of travel, will be included in a revised air quality action plan which the public will have chance to comment on later this year.”

Councillor Cathy Bayton, Dudley Council cabinet member for health and adult social care, said: “Improving air quality is a priority for Dudley Council.

"We have applied for funding from the Government and were awarded a grant of over £1.5 million in February 2019 which we will use to reduce emissions from buses that travel through areas of poor air quality.

“The money will also be used to make improvements to highways so that traffic flows more freely, which is known to improve air quality. These improvements will take place around Castle Gate and Burnt Tree and Wordsley High Street within the next two years.

“We are also working with the West Midlands Combined Authority to improve public transport in the borough to reduce reliance on cars and the delivery of the Metro extension to Brierley Hill has the potential to reduce car use in the borough.

“We know that children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of poor air quality and the council is also purchasing mobile air quality sensors to monitor air quality around schools. We will use this information to work with schools, children and parents to develop and implement school specific air quality improvement plans.”