New 2024 Air Quality Status Report reveals lower pollution levels in Bishop’s Stortford and Sawbridgeworth
Air quality in Bishop’s Stortford, Sawbridgeworth and Hertford has improved, according to a new report.
Pollution at trouble spots in the three towns decreased, with just one recorded nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) breach in London Road in Stortford.
The newly published 2024 Air Quality Status Report is based on the most up-to-date, full-year validated statistics from 2023 and attributes improvements to factors including greener vehicles, more flexible working patterns and targeted local policies.
Bishop’s Stortford’s Hockerill junction – where Stansted Road, Dunmow Road, London Road and Hockerill Street intersect – has been a cause of concern since 2007, when it became the first air quality management area (AQMA) in East Herts. It was followed by Gascoyne Way, Hertford, in 2010 and London Road, Sawbridgeworth, in 2015.
The improvements have been heralded by the Conservatives as an achievement of their time in office at East Herts Council, until they lost the May 2023 elections to the Green Party and Liberal Democrats.
Cllr Graham McAndrew, the former executive member for environmental sustainability, said: “The outgoing administration leaves a legacy of cleaner air, with only one recorded exceedance of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels on London Road in Bishop’s Stortford in 2023 – a stark contrast to previous years.
“This success has paved the way for the new Green and Liberal Democrat coalition leadership to shift focus from the current national target of 40 micrograms per cubic metre (µgm³) of NO₂ to a far more ambitious goal: achieving the European Union’s 20µgm³ by 2030.
“Efforts will also expand to tackle harmful PM2.5 particulates, linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as part of a broader strategy to safeguard public health.”
Last year Cllr McAndrew’s successor, the Green Party’s Cllr Tim Hoskin, led production of a new Air Quality Action Plan for East Herts.
Three new Iknaia Airscan monitors have been installed in each of the district’s three AQMAs.
Hertfordshire County Council and Cllr McAndrew, who is also a member of that authority, provided a further two live monitors at Hockerill.
They deliver real-time, high-accuracy data on pollutants including NO₂, sulphur dioxide (SO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O₃) and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10).
“These devices, a major upgrade from passive diffusion tubes used previously, measure temperature and humidity while feeding live data to an online public dashboard,” said Cllr McAndrew. “Councillors and residents can now track pollution spikes, assess exposure risks and tailor mitigation strategies with unprecedented precision.”
Although monitoring sites in Hertford and Sawbridgeworth reported NO₂ levels below national objectives in 2023, revoking AQMA designation requires five consecutive years of compliance, excluding pandemic-era anomalies. Hertford and Sawbridgeworth must maintain progress until at least 2025 to exit special measures.
Bishop’s Stortford lags behind, but the single breach marks a significant reduction compared to pre-Covid-19 levels.
For real-time air quality updates, see AirQualityEngland.co.uk.
