For some people who live in Sefton, air pollution is an important concern and the quality of the air we breathe is an issue that affects everyone. Find out more about our planning to promote clean air.
Air quality across the majority of the borough is of a good standard, but there are four areas that have been identified as Air Quality Management Areas where air quality does not meet national standards. To see the latest air quality readings for Sefton click here.
Sefton also has to prepare an Annual Air Quality Status Report (ASR) which provides a summary of what air quality is like in Sefton, provides detailed information on air quality monitoring taking place in Sefton and the actions we are taking to try and improve air quality in the Borough.
A copy of Sefton’s latest ASR can be found below:
| Air Quality Status Report 2024 |  (pdf 8.46MB) |
Previous ASRs can be found below:
| Annual Air Quality Status Report 2017 | (pdf 3.39MB) |
| Annual Air Quality Status Report 2018 | (pdf 3.18MB) |
| Annual Air Quality Status Report 2019 | (pdf 4.84MB) |
| Annual Air Quality Status Report 2020 | (pdf 5.25MB) |
| Annual Air Quality Status Report 2021 | (pdf 9.53MB) |
| Annual Air Quality Status Report 2022 | (pdf 10.43MB) |
| Annual Air Quality Status Report 2023 | (pdf 9.62MB) |
Sefton Council has put a number of actions in place to help protect air quality in the borough and air quality was Sefton's Director of Public Health's chosen theme for the 2019 Public Health Annual Report.
One of these actions was to commission AECOM, a global environmental consultancy, to conduct a clean air zone feasibility study.
Clean Air Zone Feasibility Study
Sefton Council commissioned AECOM, a global environmental consultancy, to produce an independent report to give us a clearer picture on patterns and sources of transport related air pollution in Sefton.
This report tells us what the traffic makeup in Sefton is like, what the air quality is like in the borough, what would happen in future to these levels if no further air quality improvement actions were implemented and whether implementing a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) would improve air quality.
In summary, AECOM’s report concludes that a charging CAZ could be an effective way to reduce Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) emissions from road traffic. At high concentrations, NO2 poses a health risk to children, the elderly and those with long term health conditions.
The health and wellbeing of our residents is our main priority and air pollution is a growing public health concern, particularly for our most vulnerable residents. For this reason, we are currently exploring a number of air quality improvement options as outlined in the feasibility study including a Sefton Clean Air Zone (CAZ). CAZs are ultimately designed to cut pollution and encourage people to drive less polluting vehicles, including electric and low emission vehicles.
Read the full AECOM Report here.
Domestic Solid Fuel Project
Sefton Council are currently fulfilling a DEFRA funded project to reduce the levels of PM2.5 released from Solid fuel stoves across the borough. PM2.5 means solid particles suspended in the air which are smaller than 2.5 microns across - about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Ineffective burning of wood and other solid fuels is one of the largest emitters of PM2.5 in the UK. Air pollution in the form of high levels of PM2.5 in an area can contribute to various health issues in the population.
View the dedicated project website on the link below for more information, you can even help the project by completing the questionnaire linked to on the homepage.