• Swindon & Wiltshire Eco
• Thursday August 28 2025

Initiatives lead to cleaner air in Bath

Two initiatives are leading to cleaner air in Bath, according to reports published this week.

The Bath Clean Air Zone (CAZ) Annual Report 2024 compares 2024 data with the 2019, pre-Covid pandemic baseline and shows average nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in the Clean Air Zone are 40 per cent lower,

Meanwhile, the Air Quality Annual Status Report 2025, which reviews and assesses air quality data for Bath and North East Somerset in 2024, shows cleaner air was reported at the projects 167 monitoring stations.

Councillor Sarah Warren, deputy leader and cabinet member for Sustainable B&NES, said: “It is encouraging to see the statistics from both reports show a continued decline in air pollution, resulting in cleaner air and a positive impact on the health of our residents and visitors.

“Notably, the CAZ Annual Report 2024 shows the CAZ is working to improve air quality outside of the zone as well as within it, and that 949 polluting vehicles have been replaced under our financial assistance scheme. This is good news for all of us visiting, living and working in Bath and North East Somerset.

“Whilst these reports are extremely positive, there is no evidence of a safe level of exposure to NO2 concentrations and particulate matter, so we will continue to closely monitor air quality and benchmark our compliance rates.”

Bath’s CAZ was launched on 15 March 2021 to urgently tackle harmful levels of air pollution caused by the most polluting taxis, vans, buses and larger commercial vehicles regularly driving in the city.

It was the first to be launched outside London and works to reduce pollution in Bath by levying a £9 or £100 a day charge on anyone driving a chargeable higher emission vehicle in the zone.

This excludes private cars and motorcycles which are not charged.