London’s ‘Killer Air’ Ruled Illegal by U.K.’s Top Court
- Airborne pollutants said to cause 23,500 deaths per year
- Prime minister: ‘There’s more to do and we will do it’
Commuters walk across the Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul's Cathedral.
Photographer: Simon Dawson/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The U.K. government broke the law by failing to adequately deal with air pollution, a London judge said, ruling that ministers should revise current plans to rein in toxic emissions to comply with European Union standards.
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom must “aim to achieve compliance by the soonest date possible,” High Court Judge Neil Garnham said on Wednesday. “She must choose a route to that objective which reduces exposure as quickly as possible” and take steps to ensure meeting EU standards is “not just possible, but likely.”