Breathing in dirty air can increase the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer, and concern over these health risks has prompted many cities across the United Kingdom to introduce or plan low emission zones.
The Indices of Multiple Deprivation, published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, measures local deprivation levels by analysing various factors affecting communities, such as income, health, crime and pollution levels.
The pollution data, published in 2019, estimates the concentration of four pollutants – nitrogen dioxide, benzene, sulphur dioxide and particulates – all of which can cause ill health.
The higher the score, the higher the levels of air pollution in the local area.
How does your local area compare? Here we reveal the ? areas in the Harrogate distrcit with the highest levels of air pollution.
1. Harrogate East
The Harrogate East area had the worst air pollution in the area, with a score of 0.77 Photo: Google Maps
2. Central Harrogate
The Central Harrogate area had the second worst air pollution in the area, with a score of 0.76 Photo: Google Maps
3. Stray
The Stray area had the third worst air pollution in the area, with a score of 0.75 Photo: Google Maps
4. Starbeck
The Starbeck area had the fourth worst air pollution in the area, with a score of 0.73 Photo: Google Maps