‘Enough is enough’! Mother of girl killed by air pollution demands Labour action

The mother of a schoolgirl killed by air pollution has warned the Government is “not doing enough” to protect children from filthy air.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s daughter Ella, nine, suffered a fatal asthma attack in February 2013 after being exposed to excessive air pollution.

Writing in the Express, Rosamund said: “The Government knows air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to health in the UK — yet it’s still not doing enough.

“People living in deprived areas suffer the most, with four times more children dying from air pollution, even though they contribute the least. They are more likely to live on busy roads and inhale fumes from other people’s cars and fireplaces. They are breathing in dirty air caused by others, and they are dying from it.

“Enough is enough. No more children can be allowed to die from a preventable illness like asthma. I call on this Government, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting in particular, to put the health of our youngest generations first by clamping down on illegal levels of air pollution and protecting their right to breathe clean air.”

In a landmark coroner’s case in 2020, Ella – who had lived 25m from the busy South Circular Road in Lewisham – became the first person to have air pollution listed as a cause of death at an inquest in the UK.

Her mother also received an apology from ministers in October.

Meanwhile Burning wood at home produces more pollution than road traffic, according to research released this month.

The findings, from the University of Birmingham, show a quarter of harmful particles in the air, known as PM2.5s, come from domestic fires while traffic is responsible for 22%.

Wood-burning stoves have risen in popularity in the UK with an estimated 1.9m homes now having one, according to the Stove Industry Alliance.

The tiny particles of matter, PM2.5s, have been linked to conditions such as heart disease and strokes.

Only four fines out of 5,600 complaints have been issued for illegal burning of wood in smoke-control areas from September 2023 to August 2024 in England, data has revealed.

Campaigners warned the new data, from freedom of information requests submitted by the campaign group Mums for Lungs, shows that the law around illegal wood burning is not being enforced in England, campaigners said.

Jemima Hartshorn, co-founder of Mums for Lungs, said: “If you open your door on a cold night in any town, city or village you can smell the wood pollution. You wouldn’t want a truck pumping air pollution into your front room, but ironically even modern wood stoves cause six times the fine particle pollution of an HGV.

“We’ve known about the health impacts of wood burning for decades. We need to make sure councils are given the tools and resources to protect children from toxic pollution and not just talk about the risks. The current system is obviously not fit for purpose.”

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “Ella’s death was an avoidable tragedy and Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s tireless campaign shines a much-needed spotlight on the public health issues surrounding air quality.

“The new Government is committed to cleaning up our air and protecting the public from the harm of pollution. We are developing a comprehensive and ambitious Clean Air Strategy to deliver legally binding targets on improving air quality.”