Yorkshire village named one of worst in the country for air pollution

Hickleton crash
Blackspot - Hickleton near Doncaster is one of the worst air pollution areas in England Credit: ITV Calendar

Families in a picturesque Yorkshire village have been warned they are living in one of the worst areas for air pollution in the country.

Its comes in a shocking report which shows that more than one thousand locations in England are still breaching Nitrogen Oxide limits.

But in the top ten worst places, two of them are in Hickleton near Doncaster.

Others include the Sheffield Station Taxi Rank and Leeds' Neville Street Tunnel, as well as three locations in London.

But ranked seventh worst blackspot is Fir Tree Close, Hickleton, shortly followed in 10th worst by John O' Gaunts in the village.

Nitrogen Dioxide exposure can lead to breathing problems and the high levels are mainly caused by vehicle emissions.

The village is on the busy A635 which carries heavy traffic including lorries between the A1M and the industrial estates of the Dearne Valley.

Factfile

  • Air pollution causes of around 40,000 early deaths in the UK each year.

  • Around one in three UK children live in unsafe air pollution levels

  • Air pollution causes various health problems including lung disease, stroke, and cancer.

Simon Bowens, from Friends of the Earth, said: "Failing to fix air pollution costs lives.

"If ministers want to avoid a return to the health-damaging and illegal levels of air pollution we had before lockdown, their enthusiasm for 'active travel' needs to be a permanent switch and not just a short-term gap plugger."

Villagers in Hickleton have long been campaigning for action. Plans were first drawn up for a bypass thirty years ago, but nothing has been done.

A joint letter from Barnsley Council, Doncaster Council and the Sheffield City Mayor recently said that the benefits of a bypass did not outweigh the costs.

And even if Government funding can be secured, no work would start before 2025.

The councils and mayor's office say they're committed to finding a solution to the traffic problem in Hickleton.

In the meantime, speed cameras could be used to slow the traffic until it can be re-routed.

Calendar's Adam Fowler reports from Hickleton