More than 40 air quality sensors have been placed across the city in a bid to tackle air pollution. Brighton and Hove City Council has installed the technology to gather real-time data on pollution within the monitored areas. It has also launched th e Brighton and Hove and Sussex Real-Time Air Quality Portal which allows residents to see real-time air quality readings round the clock, seven days a week.
The project is the largest network of real-time air quality sensors in the UK. The map shows the level of pollution in the areas where a sensor has been placed (Image: The Brighton & Hove and Sussex Real-Time Air Quality Portal) Sensors have also been installed at ten sites outside the city, including in Newhaven and Horsham. These have been selected for monitoring by the relevant authorities and the sensors have been put in place by the same contractor, which is managed by the city council.
In Brighton and Hove yesterday, the data showed the most polluted streets were Grand Parade and Lewes Road. According to the council, solid fuel burning is a significant source of pollution across the county. A spokesman said: "It is a contributing factor to more than one in 20 deaths of people over 30 in Brighton and Hove and a huge problem for people with conditions like asthma.
" The 50 sensors have been funded by a Defra air quality grant and the council’s Carbon Neutral Fund. The locations include: Local parks and the South Downs National Park Hill slopes and valley bottoms for compa.