HC Deb 05 March 1962 vol 655 cc27-32W
Mr. Ellis Smith

asked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science if he will set out in tabular form in the OFFICIAL REPORT the tonnage per square mile of insoluble deposit, soluble deposit and total solids resulting from air pollution at stations where measurements are taken for the average three years prior to the Clean Air Act becoming law and for each year since, together with the same figures for December, 1961, for Boghead, Loch Katrine, Brixham, Devon, Trafford Park, Salford, Phillips Park, Manchester, Heaton Park, Stoke-on-Trent, Stockport, Stalybridge, Warrington, Widnes, Eccles, Bolton, Stafford, Urmston and Liverpool, and the same national average figures for the same years.

Mr. Denzil Freeth

Annual records of atmospheric pollution are maintained in terms of years ending 31st March. The period of three years preceding the Clean Air Act ended on 31st March, 1957. During the period 1st April, 1954, to 31st March, 1961, the available yearly averages of the recordings at sites in the places detailed in the Question, and also the averages of all the available recordings made during the same year, expressed in tons per square mile per month, are as follows (the figures given are for a site near the centre of a town when no more definite area is indicated):

Year ending 31st March
1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961
Insoluble Deposit Soluble Deposit Total solids Insoluble Deposit Soluble Deposit Total solids Insoluble Deposit Soluble Deposit Total solids Insoluble Deposit Soluble Deposit Total solids Insoluble Deposit Soluble Deposit Total solids Insoluble Deposit Soluble Deposit Total solids Insoluble Deposit Soluble Deposit Total solids
Boghead (Lanarkshire) — — — — — — Insufficient†observations 0.9 4.3 5.2 1.1 3.9 5.0 1.1 4.2 5.3 1.3 4.1 5.4
Loch Katrine (Perthshire) 0.7 5.4 6.1 1.0 4.9 5.9 0.9 5.6 6.5 1.3 3.2 4.5 1.0 3.5 4.5 1.4 3.5 4.9 1.7 4.4 6.1
Brixham, Devon (Rea Barn Road) 1.5 7.4 8.9 1.4 5.6 7.0 2.2 8.5 10.7 1.4 5.9 7.3 2.0 5.2 7.2 1.5 8.0 9.5 Insufficient† observations
Trafford Park (Stretford) 56.6 10.8 67.4 Insufficient† observations Insufficient† observations 36.2 10.1 46.3 30.3 8.5 38.8 36.1 8.3 44.4 Insufficient† observations
Phillips Park (Manchester) 24.1 12.0 36.1 28.2 8.6 36.8 24.8 10.8 35.6 16.6 10.9 27.5 14.6 9.6 24.2 15.8 9.6 25.2 19.8 9.8 29.6
Heaton Park (Manchester) 6.2 7.4 13.6 6.2 5.3 11.5 6.0 6.1 12.1 5.5 6.3 11.8 7.4 6.5 13.9 5.8 5.5 11.3 8.0 5.9 13.9
Manchester (Whitworth Park) 11.9 9.2 21.1 13.0 8.0 21.0 12.3 8.3 20.6 11.1 8.2 18.3 11.5 7.4 18.9 10.9 7.4 18.3 12.9 7.5 20.4
Salford (Central Police Station) — — — — — — — — — — — — Insufficient† observations 14.1 6.7 20.9 14.6 7.2 11.7
Stoke-on-Trent (Thistley Hough High School) — — — Insufficient† observations 5.3 4.4 9.7 5.9 7.3 13.2 6.2 5.8 12.0 6.2 4.2 10.4 4.6 5.7 10.3
Stockport (Police and Magistrate's Court Building). — — — — — — — — — Insufficient† observations 26.0 9.2 35.2 20.5 6.9 27.4 20.3 8.6 28.9
Stalybridge — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Warrington (Central Police Station) — — — — — — Insufficient† observations 32.0 16.1 48.1 20.9 13.5 34.3 21.0 16.8 37.8 18.3 15.6 33.9
Widnes (Health Centre) 22.0 15.8 37.8 20.5 14.0 34.5 15.3 14.6 29.9 13.8 12.5 26.3 17.9 12.8 30.7 16.4 16.7 33.1 13.7 17.3 31.0
Eccles (Towns Yard, Westwood Park) 14.8 7.4 22.2 10.8 5.7 16.5 11.5 6.6 18.1 11.3 5.5 16.8 10.3 5.7 16.0 11.2 7.1 18.3 11.7 6.7 18.4
Bolton (Police Sports Ground) 21.0 15.0 36.0 14.1 10.9 25.0 10.4 11.5 21.9 7.9 10.0 17.9 8.4 8.8 17.2 8.9 8.5 17.4 9.9 10.2 20.1
Stafford — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Urmston (Highways Depot, Bowfell Road) 10.9 7.7 18.6 9.2 6.1 15.3 8.9 7.1 16.0 10.0 6.6 16.6 9.6 5.5 15.1 13.2 5.5 18.7 Insufficient† observations
Liverpool (Carnegie Infant Welfare Centre) 11.2 9.0 20.2 11.9 8.9 20.8 12.0 8.1 20.1 12.2 8.4 20.6 11.3 7.3 18.6 11.3 7.5 18.8 18.6 7.6 26.2
* Average of all available results 10.6 8.3 18.9 10.6 7.7 18.3 10.1 7.6 17.7 9.6 7.7 17.3 9.3 7.3 16.6 9.3 — — Figures not yet available
* These figures are averages of all results available; since the choice of sites for these measurements was governed by local considerations, the average cannot be used as a yardstick for comparative purposes.
† Measurements were not reported for a complete year.

Pollution data for December, 1961, is not yet available.

Deposited matter is known to fall near to the source of origin; measurements at an individual site are therefore representative of the conditions round that site, and are not necessarily indications of the conditions over the whole area of the local authority concerned.

Back to