To ensure the air quality in East Cambridgeshire is the best it can be, the District Council constantly monitors levels of pollutants in the air, throughout the district.

In a report to this week’s Community and Environment Committee, members heard how the air in East Cambridgeshire remains predominately good.

However, a special air monitor at Station Road in Ely has found higher levels of nitrogen dioxide than would normally be expected. Further monitoring and research is to be carried out but Councillors heard how the likeliest cause of such a rise would be from engine exhausts.

Cllr Richard Hobbs, Chairman of Community and Environment Committee, said: "It is not often we worry about the air which we breathe – we are lucky to live in a mostly rural area which has very clean air. However it was interesting to hear how levels of nitrogen dioxide were high in the Station Road area of Ely with the most likely cause being the car engine.

"While the levels are not dangerous at the moment – it is a reminder to us all how important it is to tackle the congestion which blights the south of Ely. It further backs up our support for the A142 bypass and how plans to change the way we move around the city – whether it is by car, foot or bike - need to be progressed as soon as possible."

The District Council has 29 sites throughout the district which are regularly checked to monitor the levels of pollutants throughout East Cambridgeshire.