Chris Grayling advises motorists to 'think hard' before buying diesel

Transport secretary recommends low-emission cars after it emerges that thousands of children breathing toxic air

Drivers should "think long and hard" before buying a diesel car and instead consider purchasing a low-emission vehicle, the transport secretary has said, as the government considers a strategy to tackle air pollution.

Chris Grayling's intervention took place as the Guardian revealed that tens of thousands of London's children were attending schools in areas with levels of toxic air in breach of EU legal limits. The minister also said the government had a legal duty to cut emissions of nitrogen oxide from diesel cars, which account for four in 10 vehicles on British roads, after a high court ruling in November ordered the authorities to reduce levels of the toxic fume in the "shortest possible time".