Air quality outside St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Castleford could be reviewed amid pollution concerns

Wakefield Council said it was intending to collect data around St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Castleford, which is located next to a busy junction.

Levels of dangerous pollutants across the whole district have fallen significantly in recent years, a climate change scrutiny committee was told on Monday.

But councillors remain concerned about air quality around schools and the impact it has on children.

The local authority is now considering whether or not to crack down on drivers who leave their engines running when their cars are stopped. It's a practice known as idling and is common outside schools when parents drop their children off.

Committee chair, Councillor Olivia Rowley said there was a widespread problem across the local area of parents "practically wanting to drive their children into the classroom".

She added: "They're often on their way to work and in a hurry and they think, "It's only me stopping", so they do it.

"But the pollution round schools is pretty high isn't it?"

In response, Gerard McCormack from the council's environment team, said there was limited equipment available to assess pollution in any one place.

But he said he'd asked for permission to, "Deploy one of our mobile air monitors outside St Joseph's Primary School in Castleford so we can begin to assess the level of exposure there, where we've a playground located on a busy roundabout, effectively.

"I'd be very interested to see what levels pupils there have been exposed to."

Mr McCormack said the district was compliant with government rules on pollution but added, "That doesn't tell the whole story because we have children being exposed to air pollution at its highest when they're on their way to school and at the end of the day when people make their way home.

"Those peaks are important."

St Joseph's, which is situated on the junction between Pontefract Road, Ferrybridge Road and Bridge Street, has been contacted for comment.

Mr McCormack referenced the case of a nine year-old London schoolgirl, Ella Kissi-Debrah who died in 2013 after she suffered a severe asthma attack.

A new inquest will start later this month to determine whether or not air pollution around her home, which was close to a busy Lewisham road, contributed to death. The government Department for the Environment is expected to give evidence.

Speaking to Coun Rowley, Mr McCormack added: "You're right to raise the concern.

"It's something that's close to my heart and we are looking to assess the impact on vulnerable groups, starting with children."

Local Democracy Reporting Service