FRESH concerns have been raised about Worcester's pollution - with one leading politician saying more needs to be done to warn people about it.
Councillor Lynn Denham has urged residents to take extra precautions in smog hotspots like Dolday and Lowesmoor.
The Labour cabinet member at Worcester City Council says people's health is being put at risk due to the levels of muck in the air.
As the Worcester News revealed back in October environmental health experts have named and shamed Dolday for its hazardous levels of air pollution which breaches EU limits.
When pollution busts through legally-acceptable limits, councils have to draw up action plans to improve matters, with each zone classed as an 'Air Quality Management Area' (AQMA) until the matter is resolved.
Cllr Denham, who is the cabinet member for sustainable communities, said: "Looking at the impact of this from a health perspective, there isn't a great public awareness about this issue.
"We have a number of air quality management action zones in the city - the impact of congestion and car exhaust fumes needs to be raised.
"There are things people need to be aware of, like if a parent is near a road with a toddler, keep back from the road, if people are in houses near high pollution areas, keep the windows slightly more closed."
Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS), which is tasked with measuring air quality, has described the Dolday situation as "not good" and says its sampling has flagged up concern about it potentially spreading to areas like The Butts, The Tything and even Upper Tything.
Dolday has overtaken Lowesmoor, which was once the city's most polluted area, because of the sheer volume of traffic going past.
It comes as the city council's leadership has just signed off a new document which aims to improve people's health, called the 'Health and Wellbeing Activity Plan'.
The plan, which will last until 2019, spans 32 pages and details measures the city council will take to improve people's health alongside other key public bodies like the NHS and County Hall.
Councillor Joy Squires, the city council's deputy leader, said: "This is a really fundamental piece of work."
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