IMMEDIATE action must be taken to tackle pollution problems in Southampton, the UK’s highest court has ruled.

Campaigners have hailed the Supreme Court’s “historic” decision to order the Government to produce new plans to reduce air pollution.

The ruling was the climax of a five-year legal battle by environment group ClientEarth over the UK’s “admitted and continuing” failure to secure compliance in certain zones with limits set under the Air Quality Directive.

The court announced that air quality plans to comply with EU limits on nitrogen dioxide must be submitted to the European Commission no later than December 31 this year.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, shock figures from Public Health England have shown that the percentage of adult deaths in Southampton due to air pollution in 2011 was 6.3 per cent – the highest in the south east.

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And there are ten air quality management areas (AQMAs) in the city where nitrogen dioxide emissions are at their worst, including Town Quay, Millbrook and Bevois Valley Road.

Keith Taylor, Green MEP for South East England, said: “Today’s judgement is a consequence of the Government ignoring health experts, campaigners and the EU to the detriment of people’s health.

“The Supreme Court ruling couldn’t be clearer – there must now be real ambition and determination to solve the source of the problem.

“It’s not good enough to tell people that the air is bad and that they should stay inside. Instead we should be looking at Paris good practice such as free public transport in towns and cities on days of high pollution and prohibiting heavy polluting diesel vehicles from city centres.”

Last month Southampton City Council told the Daily Echo that the main cause of air pollution is vehicle traffic and that all AQMAs are by busy roads.

Additionally it said it is aiming to encourage more residents to use public transport, share school runs, and is attempting to cut the number of heavy goods vehicles on the city’s roads.

After the Supreme Court ruling a spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Air quality has improved significantly in recent years and as this judgement recognises, work is already underway on revised plans – since February 2014 – to meet EU targets on nitrogen dioxide as soon as possible.”

Southampton City Council was unavailable for comment.