UK's new air pollution plan dismissed as 'weak' and 'woefully inadequate'

Lawyers who forced ministers to deliver new proposals to tackle toxic air crisis say government is not taking responsibility for public health emergency

The government's new plan to tackle the UK's toxic air crisis is "much weaker than hoped for", according to the environmental lawyers that forced ministers to deliver the proposals.

James Thornton, chief executive of ClientEarth, said the government was "passing the buck" to local authorities and said he failed to see how the central proposal - clean air zones for urban areas - would be effective without charges to deter the most polluting vehicles.