A NEW device in Wokingham town centre will now monitor levels of potentially harmful gases after the town was named amongst the UK's worst town's for air pollution earlier this year.


The Wokingham and Reading urban area was revealed as one of 28 sites failing to meet European Union pollution limits, alongside major urban centres such as Greater London, Liverpool and Teesside due to high levels of nitrogen oxide, back in May.


Council chiefs last Thursday agreed to introduce a new continuous air monitoring unit in Peach Street to allow hourly levels to be assessed, as over-exposure to nitrogen oxides can lead to respiratory problems.


Nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide are produced by cars and some agricultural fertilisers though a certain amount of oxide is emitted naturally. 


Both Wokingham and Twyford town centres were identified as having nitrogen dioxide levels slightly over the maximum set out by the Environment Act 1995 of an annual mean of 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air, after monitoring in 2012 and 2013. 


A detailed assessment was carried out of the area, including using traffic data and taking into account planning developments such as the new Station Link Road, which identified a small number of homes in both town centres where the annual average nitrogen dioxide limit was likely to be exceeded. 


An air quality action plan was drawn up and government funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund was won to support any action. 


Monitoring in 2014 up until now, showed that levels continued to surpass the recommended maximum with an annual average between 40 and 52 micrograms per cubic metre of air. 


Friends of the Earth South East campaigner Brenda Pollack previously branded the high levels a "scandal" and criticised that it had been allowed "to continue for so long". 


She said: "Declaring these air quality management areas in Wokingham is a welcome move, and now strong plans are needed to tackle this hidden killer and protect people's health. 


"Our illegal levels of filthy air are an outrage and much more must be done to ensure vehicles are cleaner and traffic levels are cut.


"The proposals to widen the M4 motorway causing increased traffic and pollution should be shelved.


She added: "58 people in Wokingham die early every year from fine particles of air pollution and this figure does not include pollution from toxic nitrogen dioxide. 


"If you take that into account it is likely that over 100 people a year die early from air pollution just in Wokingham.


"Air pollution is second only to smoking for premature deaths, and hits the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society hardest. "