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|Home > |Environmental Health > |Pollution > Air Quality Monitoring

Air Quality Monitoring

The Sources of Air Pollution

The main cause of air pollution is from motor vehicles and the major pollutants from petrol and diesel engines are:

  • oxides of nitrogen
  • smoke particles
  • carbon monoxide
  • benzene
  • combined with sunlight these pollutants produce ozone.

Find out more about: |Major pollutants from petrol/diesel engines

National Air Quality Monitoring

Air Quality Monitoring at EsherThe UK has around 50 air quality stations linked into the Government's monitoring system which measure pollution levels every hour.

To find out more about the Government's monitoring scheme:

Air Quality Monitoring in Elmbridge

Elmbridge measures air pollution in a number of ways.

Air Quality Monitoring station at Bell FarmThe average monthly level of nitrogen dioxide (emitted from vehicle exhausts) is measured simply by using a large number of diffusion tubes situated across the Borough. This technique is inexpensive and provides useful information about general levels of pollutant and pollutant trends, which indicate whether levels are increasing, decreasing or remain constant. Diffusion tubes are also used to measure benzene at a few of the Borough sites (see: |Table of Diffusion Tube Site Locations/Details).

For more accurate data, continuous measurements are taken at air quality monitoring stations at Bell Farm School in Hersham, the High Street in Weybridge and Hampton Court Parade in Molesey. These measurements establish accurate background levels of pollution within the Borough. A number of pollutants are measured from these monitoring stations.

Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs)

Where levels of a pollutant are considered likely to fail the objectives set by the Government, the Council is required to declare the area in which the monitoring results are failing as an Air Quality Management Area. Seven areas within the Borough have been declared as AQMAs due to the levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air.

The locations of the AQMAs are:

Based on these declarations, air quality stations were installed at two of the seven areas to gather more accurate data and are located in the areas around Weybridge High Street and Hampton Court Parade, Molesey.

Information from the Bell Farm School, Weybridge High Street and Hampton Court Parade air quality monitoring stations are available to view on the |Elmbridge Air Pollution Data webpage. This data is updated automatically four times each day.

Local authorities are required to review and assess air quality against the objectives in the Air Quality Regulations 2000 and the amendment regulations as part of a rolling three-year cycle. |An assessment of air quality in Elmbridge is available to view, based on all our monitoring and the problems that have been highlighted.

More Information

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