More than 40 air quality sensors have been placed across the city in a bid to tackle air pollution.

Brighton and Hove City Council has installed the technology to gather real-time data on pollution within the monitored areas.

It has also launched the Brighton and Hove and Sussex Real-Time Air Quality Portal which allows residents to see real-time air quality readings round the clock, seven days a week.

The project is the largest network of real-time air quality sensors in the UK.

The map shows the level of pollution in the areas where a sensor has been placed (Image: The Brighton & Hove and Sussex Real-Time Air Quality Portal) Sensors have also been installed at ten sites outside the city, including in Newhaven and Horsham. These have been selected for monitoring by the relevant authorities and the sensors have been put in place by the same contractor, which is managed by the city council.

In Brighton and Hove yesterday, the data showed the most polluted streets were Grand Parade and Lewes Road.

According to the council, solid fuel burning is a significant source of pollution across the county.

A spokesman said: "It is a contributing factor to more than one in 20 deaths of people over 30 in Brighton and Hove and a huge problem for people with conditions like asthma."

The 50 sensors have been funded by a Defra air quality grant and the council’s Carbon Neutral Fund.

The locations include:

  • Local parks and the South Downs National Park

  • Hill slopes and valley bottoms for comparison

  • Outer areas, suburban and centrally located schools with or without school street schemes or other active travel initiatives

  • Roadside: local A roads, B roads, C roads and strategic trunk roads (A27 and A23)

  • Brighton and Hove city centre

  • Near Shoreham and Newhaven ports

  • Construction sites and potential development areas

  • An industrial site in Horsham

  • 12 Air Quality Management Areas (known as AQMAs), including six in Brighton and Hove and one in Newhaven.

Councillor Tim Rowkins, cabinet member for net zero and environmental services, said: “This new network of air quality monitors is a big step forward. It will enable us to build a much more detailed understanding of what kinds of pollution are happening where and at what times.

"This will be extremely useful as we begin to take action to address particulate pollution from wood-burners and open fireplaces, which have become increasingly popular in recent years.

“The impact on public health is too great to ignore and there is a lot of work to be done, both locally and nationally, to raise awareness. The new website will help illustrate the role of burning solid fuels, as well as enable residents to see what is happening in their areas.

“The city has five smoke control areas, but these have not historically been enforced and many people are not aware that they live in one.

"Our new approach this winter, combined with the new data, will help inform our actions next year.”

The new strategy was discussed earlier this month at the place overview and scrutiny committee and will be reviewed in the spring.