Failure to achieve real-world reductions in diesel vehicle emissions have left people in 90% of the UK exposed to illegal levels of air pollution, according to a new Government report.

The latest annual report from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) shows that pollution in 38 out of 43 areas of the UK exceeded the EU’s limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – a gas directly linked to thousands of premature deaths.  Only five zones complied with acceptable NO2 levels in 2013: Scottish Borders, Highlands, Northern Ireland, plus Preston and Blackpool in Lancashire.

The report says that road transport emissions, from diesel vehicles in particular, are chiefly responsible for the air quality failures. Evidence cited in the report says that NOx emissions from diesel cars and LCVs have seen little reduction in the past 20 years and that the Euro emissions standards  have failed to deliver their expected reductions.