Munira Wilson, MP for Twickenham, is calling for the Government to put safer legal limits on air pollution in place and is rallying support from residents through a petition.

Richmond has seen a rise in the dangerous fine particulate matter present in the air year on year, risking the health of residents. Poor air quality can worsen respiratory illnesses, and with Coronavirus damaging lungs, there is a pressing need to improve conditions.

Despite this, the Government actively opposed measures in the Environment Bill yesterday that would have brought air pollution limits to safer levels in line with those established by the World Health Organisation in 2005.

On launching this petition, Munira said:

"Year on year, we have seen a rise in air pollution in Richmond borough since 2016. Poor air quality can cause sickness and contribute to premature death, and this is particularly worrying when NHS services are overstretched because of the Coronavirus crisis.

It's important that as a community, we show how strongly we feel about tackling environmental issues. I hope that this petition will encourage the government to consider imposing stricter air pollution targets for the good of our communities and health services."

Sign the petition HERE