:00:00. > :00:08.There are millions of vehicles on our roads every day.
:00:09. > :00:13.My children are breathing this in, I'm breathing this in.
:00:14. > :00:15.Tonight, we speak to those living on the UK's most polluted
:00:16. > :00:24.Some lorries going past, you can feel the room shake.
:00:25. > :00:27.I wish they'd flatten it and give us somewhere else to go.
:00:28. > :00:34.We find out the pollution levels they're living with.
:00:35. > :00:39.We take one rather unconventional car out for a test drive.
:00:40. > :00:43.And we ask what needs to be done to remove a hidden danger
:00:44. > :00:58.This is a public health crisis and we need to act now.
:00:59. > :01:06.It's 8am and rush hour on a cold January morning.
:01:07. > :01:28.For families living on this street, it's the start of another day.
:01:29. > :01:36.Daisy, get your boots on please. But some lows here are far from normal.
:01:37. > :01:38.This is the most polluted street in the UK outside London.
:01:39. > :01:42.The pollution from traffic here is regularly breaking legal limits.
:01:43. > :01:45.I've lived here for nearly 40 years, and the traffic, every year, you can
:01:46. > :01:49.see it getting worse and worse and worse.
:01:50. > :01:55.It's two weeks into 2017, and Hafodyrynys Road near Crumlin
:01:56. > :01:59.is about to use up its entire air pollution limit for the year.
:02:00. > :02:01.You don't want your children growing up being poorly.
:02:02. > :02:07.You want them to be able to go out front door and not be
:02:08. > :02:09.And that's just not happening at moment.
:02:10. > :02:12.The poor quality air, dust and noise from traffic on this
:02:13. > :02:17.road is something people living here have long been used to.
:02:18. > :02:22.Neil's wife Dawn has lived here all her life.
:02:23. > :02:30.I find now it's the air isn't so clear as what it used to be.
:02:31. > :02:35.Six doors up, Amanda Jones has tried to shut out the problem.
:02:36. > :02:48.We keep window open just to let a bit of air circulate.
:02:49. > :02:51.The problem with doing that is that you end up with black
:02:52. > :02:56.It's all the exhaust fumes, as you can see,
:02:57. > :03:04.Traffic pollution isn't just a problem here: it's something
:03:05. > :03:06.health professionals say everyone should be concerned about.
:03:07. > :03:11.I'm meeting Huw Brunt from Public Health Wales.
:03:12. > :03:14.Air pollution is something that affects everybody.
:03:15. > :03:18.Smoking is probably the number one public health priority - air
:03:19. > :03:22.pollution probably comes second to that, actually.
:03:23. > :03:26.If you talk about obesity, inactivity and alcohol,
:03:27. > :03:29.they come, actually, behind air pollution.
:03:30. > :03:32.Here in Wales, air pollution contributes
:03:33. > :03:44.Across Wales to date, more than 40 of these have been
:03:45. > :03:49.declared - including in Crumlin, Mountain Ash, Cardiff and Newport.
:03:50. > :03:55.And just this year, another has been declared in Merthyr Tydfil.
:03:56. > :03:58.One of these areas is Hafod in Swansea.
:03:59. > :04:01.It's one of five areas in Wales where traffic pollution is so bad
:04:02. > :04:10.I've come to meet some of the people living and working
:04:11. > :04:32.Some days you have the rush hour traffic, school traffic,
:04:33. > :04:33.but its constant traffic nearly all the time.
:04:34. > :04:36.Even from the middle of the night, it's traffic.
:04:37. > :04:41.What impact does the traffic have on them?
:04:42. > :04:48.It does affect them a little bit with their chests and that.
:04:49. > :04:51.I find with the traffic, sometimes it's the safety of how
:04:52. > :05:01.much traffic is there when they want to go out and play.
:05:02. > :05:04.It's hard work crossing the road during the day, mind.
:05:05. > :05:08.You can see now, it's absolutely shocking, isn't it?
:05:09. > :05:11.Chris Morris works for a florist on Neath Road,
:05:12. > :05:16.Oh, I never open the windows during the day.
:05:17. > :05:19.Because there's so much traffic outside, all my clothes
:05:20. > :05:21.would be smelling of petrol and everything, so no.
:05:22. > :05:24.It's got to have an effect in some shape or form,
:05:25. > :05:28.Is it going to affect my children's health?
:05:29. > :05:32.Such a busy road and such an immense volume of traffic
:05:33. > :05:34.And football day, it's absolutely atrocious.
:05:35. > :05:37.Something should be done, something to ease the volume,
:05:38. > :05:45.Just changing the tube for you, for the traffic.
:05:46. > :05:50.Around the corner, equipment is being checked by the council
:05:51. > :06:00.The Neath Road is one of the early areas we started measuring in,
:06:01. > :06:04.due to the high volume of traffic and residential exposure
:06:05. > :06:10.Nitrogen dioxide is what we're looking for.
:06:11. > :06:13.So, we're looking for the products of combustion, secondary nitrogen
:06:14. > :06:15.dioxide to do with the road traffic, so basically vehicle exhausts.
:06:16. > :06:18.For people living in Hafod, Tom and his colleagues
:06:19. > :06:24.Monitors like this are becoming a common feature.
:06:25. > :06:26.Down the bottom of the road, can you see?
:06:27. > :06:29.That's to count the pollution, right.
:06:30. > :06:41.I've got asthma, and it don't help, do it?
:06:42. > :06:44.Over the years, I've seen everybody growing up.
:06:45. > :06:46.Gaynor Omar lives on the same road and has run this
:06:47. > :06:51.I've been on this main road for 38 years, and I've seen
:06:52. > :07:00.Me myself, I haven't experienced ill health,
:07:01. > :07:10.It's cars coming into the area to go to their destination -
:07:11. > :07:17.According to health experts, it isn't just smoke and dirt coming
:07:18. > :07:20.from exhausts that's causing an issue.
:07:21. > :07:23.There's a far more worrying hidden problem.
:07:24. > :07:27.The air pollution we're talking about from a public health
:07:28. > :07:29.perspective is the air pollution that you can't see: Nitrogen
:07:30. > :07:32.dioxide, the main source of which is diesel cars.
:07:33. > :07:34.And particulates, those fine particulates that you can breathe
:07:35. > :07:39.In the short-term, we're talking about eyes, nose and throat
:07:40. > :07:46.Long term, more serious consequences - on the heart, on lungs,
:07:47. > :07:54.Traffic pollution on Hafodyrynys Road is recorded by this monitor.
:07:55. > :07:57.Just a week after we started filming in January, the road
:07:58. > :08:03.breached its legal pollution limit for the whole year.
:08:04. > :08:06.Neil and Dawn's lives are spent indoors.
:08:07. > :08:08.They spend most of their time on the ground floor
:08:09. > :08:16.It's easier to breathe down here than what it is upstairs.
:08:17. > :08:19.Dawn is disabled, and Neil's her main carer.
:08:20. > :08:30.In the 70 years Dawn's lived here, she's seen a lot of changes.
:08:31. > :08:37.And me mam, when she was small, she used to play
:08:38. > :08:41.Dawn remembers Crumlin's industrial past, which brought
:08:42. > :08:49.When the pits were here, we had coal fires and all that.
:08:50. > :09:03.There was a lot of smoke here but nothing like it is now.
:09:04. > :09:08.It seems to stay outside, it doesn't go up. You know.
:09:09. > :09:13.68-year-old Dawn has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease This
:09:14. > :09:21.This inhaler I take twice a day for the emphysema.
:09:22. > :09:29.And this one I take this twice a day, and I have
:09:30. > :09:32.this one for in between, when I'm doing things.
:09:33. > :09:41.Poor air quality outside her front door makes leaving the house
:09:42. > :09:46.When I go out the front, all the fumes and everything,
:09:47. > :10:01.Sometimes, we feel like prisoners here.
:10:02. > :10:03.The poor-quality air is also something that's
:10:04. > :10:10.She's concerned that it might be having an effect
:10:11. > :10:17.My children are breathing this in, I'm breathing this in.
:10:18. > :10:19.Daisy doesn't seem too affected, but I've noticed with AJ,
:10:20. > :10:25.AJ does get quite chesty to point where he coughs a lot,
:10:26. > :10:29.it takes him a lot longer to get over.
:10:30. > :10:33.On the bed we have a duvet, and we prop that up on the bed
:10:34. > :10:35.so he can be elevated, so he's not lying flat.
:10:36. > :10:37.He coughs so much, he is sick, and I don't
:10:38. > :10:41.So many nights, I'm on there with him.
:10:42. > :10:44.His bed is actually quite near the window, and so you do get
:10:45. > :10:46.the dust coming down, and I don't think that helps.
:10:47. > :10:49.He has been given an inhaler for when he's really bad
:10:50. > :10:59.I want him to be healthy, to be able to go out and play
:11:00. > :11:15.It makes you feel incompetent as a parent, sometimes.
:11:16. > :11:32.There will be a lot over vehicles. It now and confined.
:11:33. > :11:34.In the valley, paediatric respiratory consultant Iolo Doull
:11:35. > :11:37.deals with the effects of air pollution on children's lungs.
:11:38. > :11:40.As an individual, you won't be able to say, ah, this child was exposed
:11:41. > :11:42.to lots of air pollution, this one wasn't.
:11:43. > :11:45.But on average, you will see, during the first few years of life,
:11:46. > :11:48.they are more likely to cough, they're more likely to wheeze,
:11:49. > :11:55.but most importantly - their lung development will be slower.
:11:56. > :11:57.Back in Swansea, Hayley is also worried about the impact
:11:58. > :11:59.pollution may be having on her family's health.
:12:00. > :12:01.Do you notice anything about the fumes from the cars?
:12:02. > :12:05.My husband and I are both asthmatic, and that does affect you,
:12:06. > :12:08.especially when there's been high traffic, both of us need to start
:12:09. > :12:12.So, has anybody spoken to you generally about
:12:13. > :12:19.My daughter, took her to the doctor's recently,
:12:20. > :12:22.and her chest was bad, and the doctor just put it down
:12:23. > :12:24.to it being winter time and she was prone to having
:12:25. > :12:29.We showed Iolo some of the footage we filmed with the families.
:12:30. > :12:32.The evidence that it causes asthma is less clear-cut.
:12:33. > :12:39.Certainly, it can precipitate asthma attacks if people have it.
:12:40. > :12:45.And then I think the long-term effects, we're still learning about.
:12:46. > :12:48.If you think that you could do that with your finger,
:12:49. > :12:58.What can people do who live on Hafodyrynys?
:12:59. > :13:01.What can they do to stop or try and prevent things happening?
:13:02. > :13:03.The options are very limited, aren't they?
:13:04. > :13:08.Because apart from moving house, what do you do?
:13:09. > :13:11.For families living on Wales' busiest roads, it's not just the bad
:13:12. > :13:25.Noise is also a major issue. It's now 20 to five,
:13:26. > :13:31.so as you can see the traffic is now starting to become bumper-to-bumper,
:13:32. > :13:36.so in another ten, 15 minutes, it literally will be stopped,
:13:37. > :13:40.For Amanda Jones, the noise and vibration from heavy lorries
:13:41. > :13:47.I love my house, and I absolutely love where I live.
:13:48. > :13:55.It's just a shame that the road is busy...
:13:56. > :14:00.It does affect every aspect of your life. Some people are more sensitive
:14:01. > :14:02.to noise and can't sleep. As you see, it's relatively quiet,
:14:03. > :14:07.can't really hear the traffic. More than 200,000 people in Wales
:14:08. > :14:28.are exposed at night to road noise exceeding
:14:29. > :14:30.World Health Organisation So, how bad is the noise
:14:31. > :14:37.on Wales' most polluted road? The World Health Organisation says
:14:38. > :14:40.noise levels above 55 decibels are increasingly dangerous
:14:41. > :14:44.for public health. Average levels on Hafodyrynys
:14:45. > :14:48.Road are 75 decibels. Huw Morgan chairs the Welsh
:14:49. > :14:51.Pollution Expert Panel. He's using a monitor to record
:14:52. > :14:55.an accurate sound level. We're in the upper-70s most
:14:56. > :14:57.of the time here at the moment. It would be quite difficult
:14:58. > :15:03.to sleep upstairs here. It would be very difficult to sleep
:15:04. > :15:09.with the window open. Noise does have its own public
:15:10. > :15:11.health impact - very serious It increases the risk of heart
:15:12. > :15:23.attacks, cardiovascular disease. You might not see that effect
:15:24. > :15:25.if someone's only been living there a few months,
:15:26. > :15:28.but certainly over the long term, it has a very marked
:15:29. > :15:40.effect on people's health, in many cases, additional
:15:41. > :15:42.to air quality impacts, Some residents on Hafodyrnys Road
:15:43. > :15:45.say the noise has become Because of Dawn's disability,
:15:46. > :15:50.she now sleeps in a room on their first floor,
:15:51. > :15:52.and lorries pass just I put ear plugs in, but it don't
:15:53. > :16:02.make a lot of difference. And some lorries going past,
:16:03. > :16:09.you can feel the room shake. As you can hear on the road now,
:16:10. > :16:13.this is a quiet time of the day, so you can imagine what it's
:16:14. > :16:16.like at rush hour. It wakes me up at half four,
:16:17. > :16:27.five every morning, you know. Huw pops in to see Neil and Dawn,
:16:28. > :16:40.to find out just how noisy it is. Outside, the background
:16:41. > :16:45.level's over 70. Every time a vehicle goes past,
:16:46. > :16:52.particularly a larger vehicle outside, that means a big increase
:16:53. > :17:01.on the background level in here. And that is the kind of thing that
:17:02. > :17:08.will just unsettle you. World Health Organisation guidelines
:17:09. > :17:12.say indoor noise levels shouldn't be Deanna and Andrew's house has been
:17:13. > :17:18.up for sale since April last year. They say they want to move
:17:19. > :17:21.away for a quieter life, but they're struggling
:17:22. > :17:25.to get interest. It's a lovely house, pity people
:17:26. > :17:30.can't see beyond the road. People don't want to live here,
:17:31. > :17:43.despite the fact they're lovely houses, nice sizes,
:17:44. > :17:46.garden's like a different world, people do not see beyond this
:17:47. > :17:48.road, which is a shame. According to current law,
:17:49. > :17:50.Caerphilly Council should have produced an action plan
:17:51. > :17:57.for Hafodyrynys Road by May 2015. Almost two years after the deadline,
:17:58. > :18:00.this plan still isn't in place. However, the Welsh Government has
:18:01. > :18:03.told us that it has 'received assurances' that it will be
:18:04. > :18:07.by the end of this month. In some other pollution hotspots
:18:08. > :18:10.in Wales, including in Swansea, councils are already working
:18:11. > :18:21.to reduce levels of pollution. We're developing this prediction
:18:22. > :18:24.system to enable drivers to be warned via messaging screens that
:18:25. > :18:26.there's poor air quality being predicted, or congestion
:18:27. > :18:28.in the traffic, and trying to educate drivers to change
:18:29. > :18:31.their route, take a different route. The council hopes 10%
:18:32. > :18:33.of drivers will pay attention, but is pushing traffic to other
:18:34. > :18:37.areas the answer? Are you tackling the symptom of
:18:38. > :18:43.the problems rather than the cause? Yes, that's always a possibility
:18:44. > :18:45.and a likely occurrence as well. Making sure we're not shifting
:18:46. > :18:58.the problem somewhere else. There are other measures,
:18:59. > :18:59.like increasing cycling routes, the buses, looking
:19:00. > :19:01.at the bus routes. Under current law, councils only
:19:02. > :19:04.have to identify pollution hotspots They are not required to actually
:19:05. > :19:08.bring pollution levels down. They're also encouraged to draw up
:19:09. > :19:10.wider air quality strategies. We asked all 22 local authorities
:19:11. > :19:13.in Wales if they've done So, really, in terms of statutory
:19:14. > :19:18.responsibility, we're looking There, sadly, the
:19:19. > :19:27.statutory powers stop. Certainly, over the past decade,
:19:28. > :19:32.what's becoming increasingly obvious And we have, I think,
:19:33. > :19:37.misled people by thinking that it's They don't live in that hot spot,
:19:38. > :19:44.so it doesn't really matter. Clearly, there is a broad
:19:45. > :19:51.air quality problem. The Welsh Local Government
:19:52. > :19:53.Association said that despite 'severe cuts' in budgets,
:19:54. > :19:57.air quality management 'remains They also said the onus for reducing
:19:58. > :20:04.air pollution levels does not solely rest with them,
:20:05. > :20:06.and that consumers, industry and governments
:20:07. > :20:14.all have a role to play. Pollution isn't just
:20:15. > :20:16.a problem for Wales. Across the world, it's becoming
:20:17. > :20:18.an increasing concern, and it's something cities
:20:19. > :20:27.across Europe are waking up to. In London, new mayor Sadiq Khan
:20:28. > :20:30.has doubled spending on the problem to ?875m,
:20:31. > :20:32.bringing in electric buses, more charging points for electric cars,
:20:33. > :20:35.and trying to get older diesel cars You're covered in, like, oily
:20:36. > :20:50.grease, when you wipe your face, but you do see a lot of people
:20:51. > :20:53.walking up here with masks, so obviously, there is some
:20:54. > :20:58.impact on all of us. Whenever you cough or sneeze,
:20:59. > :21:02.you know you've had some horrible black dust in you,
:21:03. > :21:08.so I think it's pretty shocking. I'm from Scotland, where we actually
:21:09. > :21:11.have clean air, so there's Andrea Lee works for
:21:12. > :21:14.ClientEarth, which campaigns She's taking us to measure
:21:15. > :21:21.pollution levels on some It's measuring what we call PM 2.5 -
:21:22. > :21:30.very fine particles that are less The mayor is also introducing
:21:31. > :21:48.an Ultra-Low Emission Zone which will charge the worst
:21:49. > :21:50.polluting diesel vehicles Low-emission zones can be a very
:21:51. > :22:04.good tool for trying to target the dirtier,
:22:05. > :22:08.more polluting vehicles. I caught up
:22:09. > :22:10.with Mr Khan last month, charge that some diesel drivers
:22:11. > :22:14.will have to pay when they enter We're not doing anything along
:22:15. > :22:17.these lines in Wales. Should we be, and what's your
:22:18. > :22:20.message to the Welsh Government? Well, I'm the Mayor
:22:21. > :22:24.of London, so let me tell you the context in London -
:22:25. > :22:26.over 9000 Londoners die here There are children in London whose
:22:27. > :22:30.lungs are underdeveloped We've got to take action
:22:31. > :22:34.because inaction won't lead to an improvement
:22:35. > :22:42.of the air in London. So, can we replicate some of what's
:22:43. > :22:46.been done in London here in Wales? I got behind the wheel
:22:47. > :22:56.to put one to the test. of the speed I'm driving
:22:57. > :23:01.at because it tells you how economically you're being in terms
:23:02. > :23:05.of the miles that you're doing. I can see the miles counting down,
:23:06. > :23:17.which gives you a bit of anxiety. you want to make sure you can get
:23:18. > :23:19.where you're going to and don't run out of miles.
:23:20. > :23:21.I'm picking up Huw Morgan in Swansea.
:23:22. > :23:25.The council here has some electric vans, too.
:23:26. > :23:33.They've been fine for normal council light van work,
:23:34. > :23:42.where you're doing of journeys of half a mile to a mile, and charge
:23:43. > :23:52.up over lunch and carry on, it works out all right.
:23:53. > :24:02.Yes, which is exactly what diesels are worst at.
:24:03. > :24:04.This is a challenge for an electric vehicle.
:24:05. > :24:10.Swansea, like many welsh towns, is a hilly place.
:24:11. > :24:13.And we have struggled when we've piloted electric buses.
:24:14. > :24:16.What does Huw think about the idea of banning diesel cars in Swansea,
:24:17. > :24:19.or charging drivers to come into particular areas of the city?
:24:20. > :24:21.I think we're at a time now where we've got to look
:24:22. > :24:27.at keeping diesels out of some very specific areas.
:24:28. > :24:36.We took our electric van around 150 miles of South Wales' roads.
:24:37. > :24:39.It seemed to cope quite well with cities, but motorways and hills
:24:40. > :24:55.Where driving downhill at the moment, and the car is building up a
:24:56. > :24:58.good speed. Going uphill is harder. We've been charging it for an hour,
:24:59. > :25:04.we're on 45 miles now, so fingers crossed, that will be
:25:05. > :25:09.enough to get us back to Cardiff. The technology may not quite be
:25:10. > :25:16.there yet, but we did make it back. are meeting with their local
:25:17. > :25:22.councillor to discuss ideas for We've got this problem
:25:23. > :25:26.of the pollution, and it's We've talked about a bypass,
:25:27. > :25:31.we've talked about electric buses, banning diesel cars,
:25:32. > :25:34.HGVs, one-way system. We've got all the causes
:25:35. > :25:44.but what needs to be done, One of the residents comes up
:25:45. > :25:48.with a possible suggestion: Caerphilly council should step in,
:25:49. > :25:50.and buy their houses. Compulsory purchase
:25:51. > :26:01.is a drastic solution. The problem of the pollution's not
:26:02. > :26:04.going away so what they could Whatever the solution is,
:26:05. > :26:07.it's going to cost money, Demolishing the 23 houses on this
:26:08. > :26:09.side of Hafodyrynys Road sounds But around half of home owners
:26:10. > :26:13.in these houses have told us I would be more than happy for them
:26:14. > :26:18.to say, we'll compulsorily As long as it was a decent
:26:19. > :26:26.price and I could buy That's the only way
:26:27. > :26:29.I could see working. I can't see any other ideas actually
:26:30. > :26:35.panning out unfortunately. I want to get from
:26:36. > :26:40.here, but how can I? I can't get another
:26:41. > :26:43.mortgage at my age. I wish they'd flatten it and give us
:26:44. > :26:46.somewhere else to go. We asked Caerphilly Council
:26:47. > :26:49.for an interview but they refused. In a statement, they said
:26:50. > :26:51.they "fully recognise" that there are air quality problems
:26:52. > :26:53.here on Hafodyrynys Road, and that this is down
:26:54. > :26:58.to the high volume of traffic, and the fact it is an uphill stretch
:26:59. > :27:02.of road in a steep-sided valley. They say they understand
:27:03. > :27:03.the concerns of residents and they are working with them
:27:04. > :27:06.on options for the The Welsh Government recently held
:27:07. > :27:09.a consultation on the way councils But health experts say that,
:27:10. > :27:17.without funding, this won't make We need greater investment in air
:27:18. > :27:21.pollution reduction interventions, We've all got a role to play,
:27:22. > :27:27.but I do think we need stronger leadership from the Welsh
:27:28. > :27:29.Government. And I think, without leadership
:27:30. > :27:32.on a national scale, then we will struggle
:27:33. > :27:35.to crack this problem. The Welsh Government declined
:27:36. > :27:40.an interview, but in a statement, said they are "firmly committed"
:27:41. > :27:43.to reducing emissions and improving air quality in Wales,
:27:44. > :27:45.but they need the public They said their consultation
:27:46. > :27:51."recognises the health benefits to be gained" from reducing
:27:52. > :27:54.the population's exposure to air They're now in the process
:27:55. > :27:59.of "considering responses" We also asked the Welsh Government
:28:00. > :28:06.if they would follow in London's footsteps to invest
:28:07. > :28:09.in low emission zones. They said councils are
:28:10. > :28:18.already able to do this. For people living on Wales'
:28:19. > :28:22.most polluted roads, Each year, roads in the UK
:28:23. > :28:32.are allowed to breach a fixed air So far this year, Hafodyrynys Road
:28:33. > :28:38.has breached that limit 57 times. Caerphilly council is due
:28:39. > :28:42.to meet on Thursday where, although they wouldn't confirm it,
:28:43. > :28:44.we understand they will consider compulsory purchase orders,
:28:45. > :28:54.along with other options. For Deanna and Andrew,
:28:55. > :28:56.they have made the difficult decision to take their house
:28:57. > :28:59.off the market. Until something is sorted,
:29:00. > :29:02.I don't think we're in a position to sell because I don't think people
:29:03. > :29:05.will really want to We shouldn't have to choose between
:29:06. > :29:13.having a family or where we live. You should be able to have a healthy
:29:14. > :29:17.family wherever you live. Down the road, Dawn
:29:18. > :29:20.is heading to bed. As she waits to hear
:29:21. > :29:28.what will happen on her street, the message to the rest of Wales
:29:29. > :29:30.is clear: doing nothing Award-winning comedian Rhod Gilbert
:29:31. > :29:57.is back for a new series. Please tell me you've got
:29:58. > :30:00.something else I can wear. Would you know what
:30:01. > :30:04.a polyanthus was? No.