MORE than 170 people in Colchester died due to respiratory diseases in 2022 to 2023 with one councillor saying he can “taste the pollution” in his mouth.

Office for Health Improvements and Disparities data shows 179 people in Colchester died due to respiratory illness in 2022.

This means there were 97 deaths per 100,000 people in Colchester.

This is below the national average of 107 deaths per 100,000 people.

In 2022, the maximum concentration of nitrogen dioxide measured in Colchester was 41.3µg/m3 which is only marginally above the NO2 annual mean air quality objective of 40µg/m3.

Councillor Martin Goss said: “It has always been a problem that comes up, that people have died from respiratory diseases due to air quality.

“This won’t disappear, it won’t go away, what might change is if more people drive electric and we change the way we travel.”

Chronic - Liberal Democrat Martin Goss said deaths due to air pollution would not simply disappear Chronic - Liberal Democrat Martin Goss said deaths due to air pollution would not simply disappear (Image: Steve Brading)

Mr Goss said one of the problems was the cost of electric vehicles and the relative lack of advancement, with himself choosing a non-electric vehicle this year due to the cost.

He said that taxpayer money had previously been used to help bus companies be compliant to air pollution standards and added: “When I’m on the main roads, I can taste the pollution in my mouth – it’s going to be affecting people.”

Monitoring - Colchester Council has a continuous monitoring station on Brook Street Monitoring - Colchester Council has a continuous monitoring station on Brook Street

Nationally, there were 790,000 emergency hospital admissions due to respiratory disease in 2022 to 2023 – up from 660,000 the year before, though still below pre-pandemic levels.

While in Suffolk and north east Essex, emergency admissions rose by 17 per cent to 13,550.

During the General Election, the Liberal Democrats pledged to tackle air pollution in their manifesto as part of their Clean Air Act as it “costs the NHS billions” as well as costing thousands of lives a year.

While Labour’s General Election manifesto contained no promise for air pollution or any mention of a Clean Air Act.

To view the latest air pollution data in Colchester visit https://www.colchester.gov.uk/environmental-protection/air-quality-in-colchester/