HC Deb 11 May 1962 vol 659 cc81-3W
Mr. Ellis Smith

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he will publish a tabular statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT showing the results obtained to date by the Clean Air Act, giving figures for the three years before the Act was passed, and for the latest three years, of all forms of air pollution, together with the same figures for the two best counties, for Staffordshire and Lancashire, respectively, and for Stoke-on-Trent, Salford, Bolton, Stretford, Manchester, Eccles and Warrington.

Mr. R. Thompson

I have been asked to reply.

TABLE I
ANNUAL AVERAGE CONCENTRATIONS OF SMOKE AND SULPHUR DIOXIDE AS MEASURED BY THE VOLUMETRIC METHOD EXPRESSED IN MICROGRAMMES PER CUBIC METRE PER DAY
Year ending 31st March 1955 1956 1957
Smoke Sulphur Dioxide Smoke Sulphur Dioxide Smoke Sulphur Dioxide
Salford
Regent Road 440 429 520 486 480 400
Bolton
Civic Centre 200 257 230 286 280 315
Manchester
Rusholme 240 286 260 343 260 286
Warrington
Sankey Street 150 268 210 315 160 286
Year ending 31st March 1959 1960 1961
Smoke Sulphur Dioxide Smoke Sulphur Dioxide Smoke Sulphur Dioxide
Salford
Regent Road 550 486 450 372 504 415
Bolton
Civic Centre 260 486
Manchester
Rusholme 400 343 280 257 300 263
Warrington
Sankey Street 340 286 210 229 200 300
Notes:
(1) The figures show the level of pollution at the sites concerned, and are not necessarily representative of conditions over the towns generally.
(2) Measurements of smoke and sulphur dioxide by the volumetric method were started for the first time in Stoke-on-Trent, Stretford and Eccles after the Clean Air Act came into force.

The following tables give figures showing concentrations of smoke and sulphur dioxide, as measured by the volumetric method, and of grit and dust as measured by the total insoluble matter collected by British Standard Deposit Gauges, at sites in the towns listed in the Question where measurements have been made for a complete year both during the three year period ending 31st March, 1957, (i.e. that preceding the Clean Air Act) and during the three year period ending 31st March, 1961 (i.e. the most recent for which data are available). For the counties mentioned figures which are statistically representative of pollution over these counties as a whole cannot be derived from available data.

TABLE II
ANNUAL AVERAGE OF DEPOSIT GAUGE UNDISSOLVED MATTER EXPRESSED IN MILLIGRAMMES PER SQUARE METRE PER DAY
Year ending 31st March 1955 1956 1957 1959 1960 1961
Stoke-on-Trent
Leek Road 128 154 156 105
Brownhills 125 141 154 148 133
Tunstall (Hospital) 109 111 146 95
Hanley, Cobridge Park 178 150
Salford
Broughton School 169 176 174 138
Park Lane, Kersal 132 128 100
North Cemetery 259 176 182
Bolton
Havercroft Maternity Home 70 66 82
Police Sports Ground 135 109
Isolation Hospital 115 97 96 96
Astley Bridge Cemetery 102 96
Manchester
Baguley 57 63 42 61
Booth Hall 120 122 129 101 95
Heaton Park 81 80 78 76 103
Philips Park 366 322 190 204
Rusholme 160 150 141 168
Withington 136 107 94 83
Monsall 130 160 116 114 126
Handforth 42 52 38
Eccles
Sewage Works 157 159 125
Westwood Park 193 140 150 134
Notes:
(1) The figures show the level of pollution at the sites concerned, and are not necessarily representative of conditions over the towns generally.
(2) There are no sites in Warrington at which deposit gauge measurements have been made both before and after the introduction of the Clean Air Act.

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