What is the worst place in London?

It is difficult to answer this question sensibly.

London suffers from traffic related pollution in a similar way to most UK cities, but the sheer size of the city, along with a dense road network and high buildings, means that central London tends to be one of the most polluted in the UK. It is currently the main area failing to comply with the legally binding limits set by the EU. Pollution can build up in London when it becomes trapped between buildings, especially during still weather.

The worst locations tend to be enclosed streets with large amounts of diesel traffic, although London does suffer from some industrial pollution, for example from waste transfer sites. Pollution hot spots are often quite small, and they vary depending on the weather and the time of year.

Comparing London boroughs is very difficult to do as each has a large variation, containing both pollution hot spots and cleaner areas. Monitoring sites are located with different goals, and are not necessarily representative of general pollution or the worst pollution in their area.


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