What is air pollution?

When air quality is poor it affects everyone's health and quality of life, as well as the environment. Air pollution is a major public health risk, particularly for those with underlying health conditions.

Over recent decades air quality in the UK has improved, but there is still a lot we can all do to reduce air pollution, including using our cars less to reduce the amount of traffic on our roads, and saving energy in our homes.

Our commitment to cleaner air

Under the Environment Act 1995 we have a duty to monitor and report on local air quality to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) each year.

This is then measured against nationally set limits for concentrations of air pollutants that affect public health such as particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

You can view recent local air quality reports here:

2020:

If you require an older report please contact Public Health & Regulation.

How we monitor air quality

We operate two real-time air quality monitoring stations, one located on the A27 Upper Brighton Road, Grove Lodge, Worthing, and one at A259 High Street, Shoreham-by-Sea.

Monitoring results for both stations can be viewed on the Sussex Air website

We also monitor nitrogen dioxide levels using passive diffusion tubes which are located at numerous sites across Adur and Worthing. Samples are collected monthly, and the data helps indicate any trends in air quality and measure the spatial spread of pollution, ensuring we target the areas of most concern.

The results of our passive diffusion tube monitoring can be found in the Annual Status Reports (above).

Local air quality updates

You can stay informed about air pollution levels where you live by signing up for free updates from Sussex Air Quality Alert. This service is provided by Sussex Air. For more information please see: