Derbyshire Dales on Countryfile
Ashbourne gets a mention on BBC Countryfile - as UK air pollution hot-spot
For the second time this year Ashbourne finds itself in the media. The first was In June when some of the town's residents decided that they needed to 'protect' a pub sign after a petition was launched calling for it it to be removed on the grounds that it was racially offensive.
The second was In October for being one of the UK's top pollution hot-spots. It is listed by Friends of the Earth as one of at least 1700 locations breaking air quality targets using data from DDDC's 2019 ASR. It was used in BBC1's Countryfile broadcast on 4th October 2020 as a example of how rural England can also be plagued with air pollution, just like our cities. The programme focussed particularly on a section of the A35 that passes through the village of Chideock in Dorset.
Buxton Road in Ashbourne shares many of the features that make Chideock one of the worst locations in the UK for air quality. There is a busy main road, a hill, and houses close to the road that create a 'canyon' - all this causes the pollutants generated to remain trapped rather being dispersed.
As the programme pointed out, it is not only the nitrogen oxide gases from vehicle exhausts that create a hazard for local residents. Tyres and brakes are also generating the potentially even more hazardous tiny particulates, referred to as PM2.5 and PM10 depending on their size. This means that even vehicles with modern engines are not 'hazard free'.