Pollution a bigger killer than road accidents, according to survey

More than one in 19 deaths in the West Midlands' largest cities and towns are related to long term exposure to air pollution, according to a new study.

Estimates from the Centre for Cities suggest the deaths of 1,554 people in the region in one year were related to harmful toxins - 18 times the rate of deaths from traffic accidents.

Coventry and Birmingham were ranked the highest for cases, while Telford is said to have the smallest proportion of pollution-related deaths in the region.

Traffic and the burning of logs and coal named as the two air pollution factors. Credit: PA Images

The highest amount of deaths related to air pollution in the West Midlands are in Coventry. Data links it to 156 deaths in just one year - 5.5% of all adult deaths in the city.

The report says the air pollution is caused by two factors: traffic on the roads and the burning of logs and coal.