THE worst pollution hotspots in East Lancashire have been revealed.

They include eight areas of Blackburn with Darwen, one area of Pendle and two parts of Rossendale, and one in Ribble Valley which have raised levels of nitrogen dioxide.

Areas in Blackburn with Darwen include Intack, Bastwell, the A666 between Robert Street and Waith Street, Witton, Earcroft, Blackamoor, Four Lane Ends and Accrington Road and Burnley Road.

In Pendle, the pollution hotspot is Windsor Street and Shipton Road, Colne, between the junction with Windsor Street/Byron Road and Temple Street/Oak Street.

While in Rossendale, pollution hotspots are at Haslingden Road roundabout and at a stretch of road from the junction of Kay Street and Bacup Road to the junction of Bacup Road and St Marys Way.

In Ribble Valley, a section of Whalley Road in Clitheroe is considered an air pollution hotspot, according to the data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Known as Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs), they are places identified by local authorities where the national air quality objectives are not likely to be achieved due to factors including exhaust emissions from slow-moving vehicles.

It has also emerged in a new report by Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria that poor ail quality contributes to around 4 per cent of all deaths across Lancashire and Cumbria, including 4.7 per cent in Blackburn with Darwen.

This includes increasing the risk of illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and cancers.

Cllr Brian Taylor, executive member for health and adult social care at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said that air pollution has a ‘massive impact’ on health and that people ‘die’ from it.

He said people can make small changes in their lives such as walking or cycling more.

He said: “I welcome this report and a wider debate on changes to public policy on how we can make our air cleaner. It is a debate that needs to happen.”

Borough director of public health Dominic Harrison, said: “We’re delighted to launch this report and highlight the important issues around air pollution – which is the largest environmental risk to people’s health, contributing to cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.”

Cllr Alyson Barnes, leader of Rossendale Council, said: “Air pollution harms the health of millions of people across the world. I welcome this report and I welcome a debate about how we, as a society, can reduce air pollution. Everyone can do their bit in helping reduce air pollution such as walking or cycling to work or school more.”

The report, which looks at tackling air pollution, was launched following Clean Air Day last week, which has seen thousands of people across the country pledge to make changes to help clean up air, including cycling more or car sharing.