In photos: Air pollution and smog in London through the years

Following the decision to allow the judicial review into the ULEZ expansion to proceed to trial, we’ve taken a look at London smogs over the years.

Issues of toxic air in London are nothing new. The most well-known air pollution event, the Great Smog of London in 1952, is estimated to have resulted in thousands of deaths, as a thick layer covered the city for four days before dispersing as the weather changed.

While Londoners had already been suffering from poor air quality for hundreds of years, the 1952 event was seen as something of a wake-up call, with the Clean Air Act 1956 one of the resulting changes made in its wake.

More recently, the build-up to the planned extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has brought debates about the capital’s pollution levels back into the limelight. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, describes it as “necessary”, due to around 4,000 people in the capital dying prematurely every year from toxic air.

The mayor has however received some push-back from residents concerned about the £12.50 daily scheme, with a judicial review on the ULEZ expansion launched by five councils recently being granted approval to proceed to trial on two of its five grounds.

Following that decision, we’ve taken a look back at some photos of how London has coped with various smogs over the years.