Toxic air could land council bosses with a multi-million-pound fine.

Brighton and Hove’s air pollution hotspots have failed to improve over the past ten years.

The council could face a fine reaching millions of pounds next year when EU rules start forcing cities to meet safety guidelines.

More than 70% of monitoring sites in Brighton and Hove, 46 out of 63 locations, have illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide, a gas which exacerbates heart and lung conditions and can shorten life expectancy.

Among the worst locations were the Vogue Gyratory and Lewes Road, which had nearly double the 40 microgrammes per metre cubed EU limit.

The news means councillors are likely to back a renewed drive to cut fumes and airborne particles caused mainly by vehicles.

Emily Humphreys, head of policy and public affairs at Asthma UK, said: “Air pollution has a severe impact on the health and the quality of life of people with asthma. Two-thirds of people with asthma tell us that fumes from traffic aggravate their condition, which can lead to wheezing and coughing, and nearly a third of people with asthma say that a reduction in air pollution is the single thing that would make the most difference to their quality of life.”

The council has said that pollution outside the city centre has reduced, along with levels of lead, benzene and carbon monoxide, but action needs to be taken in the city centre.

Councillor Pete West, chairman of the environment committee, said: “Hazardous air quality caused by vehicles remains a stubborn problem. This is one reason why we’re so keen to help people use alternatives to the car.

“That means making it safer and more pleasant to walk and cycle. We also need to ensure buses aren’t caught in queues of cars so that public transport provides a quicker alternative.

“So we’re proposing to use a combination of planning and transport measures to try to make the place more pleasant and healthy. This could mean for example that new developments must minimise additional vehicle journeys and help pay for alternatives, or when modifying our transport network we make sure low-emission modes of transport are well catered for.”

Areas in the city with the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide in 2011

Middle of North Street – 79 microgrammes per cubic metre
Viaduct Terrace, Viaduct Road – 70.9
Lower North Street – 65.9
Lewes Road, south of Vogue Gyratory – 65.5
Oxford Street, near London Road – 65.4
Marlborough Place – 61.5
New England Road, near Argyle Road – 58
Western Road, west of Churchill Square – 57.7
Queens Road, north of the Clock Tower – 55.8
East Old Shoreham Road – 54.4
LEGAL LIMIT - 40