One-third of children living in Britain - around 4,5 million children - live in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution, according to a report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) released today.
The British government announced its plans to tackle air pollution last month following the European Commission's decision to refer Britain and five other EU member states to the European Court of Justice for violating air pollution limits.
UNICEF said the measures taken by London to address the problem were insufficient and called for more funding to take further steps to reduce pollution in the worst-hit areas.
"According to the government's plans for air quality, dangerous levels of air pollution in about 71% of cities in the UK are likely to remain for another 12 years," the report said.
A separate Global Action Plan report, also released today, found that children are 30% more exposed than adults to dangerous levels of air pollution from vehicles on busy roads due to their lower altitude.