Defra: Air Pollution Levels To Top The Scale

Air pollution will reach "very high" or "high" levels across much of England on Wednesday, the UK's Environment Department has warned.

The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said air pollution will worsen, reaching the top level of 10 in some areas in the South and Midlands.

It said: "High to very high air pollution is expected across much of England to the south of a line from Merseyside across to The Wash."

London will be among the areas worst hit.

Adults and children with lung problems, adults with heart problems, and older people, have been told to avoid strenuous physical activity.

It will be the second day in a row that the country has been hit by heightened smog levels.

Rising smog levels are linked to dust blown from the Sahara

On Tuesday Defra recorded "high" to "very high" air pollution levels across East Anglia, parts of southeast England and around the Humber.

The agency has linked the increased air pollution levels to sandstorms in the Sahara.

A spokesperson told Sky News: "The high level of air pollution this week is due to a combination of local emissions, light winds, pollution from the continent and dust blown over from the Sahara."

Many in the country have woken up over the last few days to see a thin level of red sand coating cars and streets.

The Met Office said: "A large amount of sand and dust was swept up by storm winds in the desert, around 2,000 miles away in northwest Africa.

Sand from the Sahara is being blown towards the UK

"The airborne particles were blown north to the UK where they combined with our warm air and were deposited during showers."

Paul Hutcheon at the Met Office added: "We usually see this happen several times a year when big dust storms in the Sahara coincide with southerly winds to bring that dust here.

"More dust rain is possible during showers expected later this week."

However, it seems the high pollution levels won't last for long. 

Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill told Sky News: "As we head towards the latter part of this week; Thursday into Friday, the air quality is set to improve.

"By the weekend the air pollution will be low across the UK."

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) air pollution poses the world's most serious environmental health risk. 

It found that pollution, ranging from cooking fires to car fumes, was linked to seven million deaths in 2012. That is roughly one in eight.

The biggest pollution-related killers were heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease and lung cancer, the WHO said.

England is not the only country to be hit by increased smog levels recently.

Last month Paris imposed a day-long driving ban after pollution particles in the air exceeded safe levels for five straight days.

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