Air Quality

East Herts Council regularly reviews the air quality within our District.

As a local authority our responsibilities relating to air quality management come from legislation laid out in the UK Air Quality Strategy. View the effects of air pollution - on the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs website

Poor air quality across the country continues to adversely affect people's health at significant public cost. We are committed to regularly reviewing our district's air quality so that we can inform our strategy and our ongoing Air Quality Action Plan. A detailed list of the pollutants that we measure for is available via the Department for Energy, Food and Rural Affairs.

Any area within East Herts not meeting National Air Quality Standards is declared as an Air Quality Monitoring Area (AQMA). Where an AQMA is declared, action needs to be taken to reduce pollution levels.  An action plan must also be produced to tackle the problem. To view the district's air quality action plan this can be found in the downloads bar.

All developments in the district must be in compliance with air quality measures set out in the council's Sustainability SPD.

Breathe Clean, AQ awareness campaign

From June 2023 to April 2024, we are running an important new project across East Hertfordshire, called Breathe Clean.

The project is funded by DEFRA and in collaboration with the Hertfordshire ‘Let’s Clear the Air’ campaign.

Our project team from MP Smarter Travel will be working with schools, workplaces, councillors and community groups to highlight some of the simple, small actions we can all do to protect ourselves from air pollution and reduce our personal contribution to the issue.

The campaign will give particular focus to encouraging drivers to turn off their engines when at a standstill since idling is a major contributor to poor air quality.

Find out more about the project. 

Email info@mpsmartertravel.co.uk to get your school, workplace, or community group involved!
 

Air Quality Alerts

Visit the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Air Pollution Alert System to receive air quality alerts straight to your mobile phone.

This free service will be of particular benefit to people with medical conditions that may be affected by pollution, such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema.

View live air quality monitoring data for Hertfordshire. 

Air Quality Maps

There are three AQMAs in East Herts. The maps for each can be found below on the Defra website.

Assessments & Reports

The table below provides guidance on reports for the previous 5 years of written reports.  If you need reports older than that below, please use our Contact us form to request copies.

Table showing latest air quality reports
Report Comments/Results
AQMA Detailed Modelling Report Detailed report produced by Bureau Veritas to understand the sources of NO2 in the council's three air quality management areas. 
2022 Air Quality Annual Status Report Annual Air Quality Report 2022
2021 Air Quality Annual Status Report Annual Air Quality Report 2021
2019 Air Quality Annual Status Report Annual Air Quality Report 2019
NO2 Trends for East Herts 2017-2021 Annual Results Summary 2017- 2021
Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR) for East Herts - Latest Analysis 2020 Annual Status Report 2020 - Summary Table
Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR) for East Herts - Latest Analysis 2019 Annual Status Report 2019 - Summary Table
Air Quality Annual Status Report (ASR) for East Herts - Latest Analysis 2018 Annual Status Report 2018 - Summary Table
Annual Status Report (ASR) 2017 Air Quality Annual Status Report 2017
Annual Status Report (ASR) 2016 Air Quality Annual Status Report 2016

Air Quality Updating & Updating Screening Assessment 2015

The results from the continuous air quality monitoring stations show that the air quality objectives that Local Authorities are required to meet were achieved in 2014. The diffusion tube data shows that the air quality objectives are unlikely to be met at 11 locations in the district, all of which are within an AQMA.  Consequently a detailed assessment is not required.

Air Quality Progress Report 2014

The results from the continuous air quality monitoring stations show that the air quality objectives that Local Authorities are required to meet were achieved at both the Background and Roadside monitors.  East Herts Council has a network of 42 diffusion tubes, located at 19 different sites.  

Diffusion tubes at 11 of these sites recorded an annual mean above the objective of 40µg/m3.   These have either already been subject to detailed assessment and are awaiting the declaration of an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), or are located within an existing AQMA.  The diffusion tube located on Viaduct Road Ware recorded nitrogen dioxide equal to the Annual Mean Objective.

Reporting Environmental Pollution

If you would like to report an issue you have witnessed or are witnessing referring to factors that will affect air quality such as bonfires, dark smoke etc, you can use our Report Environmental Pollution form