• Analysis
Air pollution in England hits 'very high' as fog traps emissions
Air pollution across urban England reached 'very high' levels on Monday 9 November 2026, with 11 government monitoring sites - mainly in London and Greater Manchester - hitting the top band as still, foggy weather trapped emissions after a weekend of fireworks and bonfires.
Where levels peaked
In the 24 hours to 10am, government monitoring put 11 sites - most of them in London and Greater Manchester - in the top band of the 10-point particulate matter index. Twenty-seven more sites were rated 'high', spread across the capital, the north-west, the Midlands, Yorkshire and the east of England.
The sharpest reading came in Hillingdon, west London, where PM2.5 levels peaked at a 24-hour average of 129 micrograms per cubic metre - more than eight times the WHO daily guideline. In the north-west, the 'very high' band was reached at:
- •Manchester Piccadilly
- •Wigan
- •Blackburn
- •Preston
- •Rochdale
Why the fog kept pollution in place
Jane Burston, CEO of the Clean Air Fund, said monitoring networks could not determine where the pollution came from but it was highly likely from autumn celebrations. With fireworks, bonfires and Diwali falling in windless, foggy weather, she said, there was nothing to move the emissions on.
"What it means is the wind doesn't blow the pollution away and the fog keeps it trapped down in the same place."
She said people in some of the worst-affected areas were breathing particulate matter concentrations five to 10 times above normal annual levels.
Health warnings
Particulate matter is made up of tiny solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air; exposure is linked to heart and lung disease and cancer. Burston warned that those most at risk should have stayed indoors.
"If you've got asthma or a lung condition, you absolutely will not have wanted to go outside this morning"
She said pollution can bring on asthma attacks, coughing and wheezing.
Calls for alerts and action on burning
Burston called for better pollution forecasts, more widely accessible health alerts and stronger action to reduce emissions from wood burning and transport. She argued that if air quality were at a safer lower level year round, extra Bonfire Night pollution would be less likely to push levels to extremes.
Larissa Lockwood, director of campaigns at Global Action Plan, said the high levels were not surprising at a time of year when people are lighting log burners, having bonfires and lighting fireworks, with the emissions then unable to disperse because they are trapped by the fog. Domestic burning and transport are the biggest sources of particulate pollution, she said. Her proposals included:
- •a public health campaign on air pollution
- •'burn alerts' asking people in towns and cities not to use wood burners when levels are high
- •phasing out non-essential burning in towns and cities to avoid unhealthy air pollution levels
A high air pollution alert for Tuesday 10 November was issued by the mayor of London's office on the advice of Imperial College London forecasters. Its spokesperson said monitoring data showed pollution rising sharply across London from Friday to Sunday and staying elevated into Monday morning.
A Clean Air Greater Manchester spokesperson said higher particulate pollution occurs each year around Bonfire Night, and that this year light winds and fog helped pollution accumulate near ground level, with the latest information and health advice from Defra available online. The government has been contacted for comment.
