THE leader of Oxford City Council has called for the Prime Minister to take 'tough and urgent action' on air pollution.

Susan Brown has joined forces with 16 other mayors and city leaders to write a joint letter to Theresa May in an attempt to fight the 'scourge of dirty air'.

Co-ordinated by UK100, a 90-strong network of local and regional authorities committed to 100 per cent clean energy by 2050, the letter is a result of the first-ever National Clean Air Summit in late June.

It calls for the Government to back-up local action to tackle the issue by taking steps including introducing a 'Clean Air Act' that imposes strong air quality limits that are enforced by a independent body.

The leaders also want to see a scheme to replace older, more polluting vehicles and extra funding for 'clean air zones.'

Ms Brown said: “Air pollution is an invisible killer. As a city we are determined to eliminate air pollution from our roads, and our plans to introduce the world’s first Zero Emission Zone will assist us with this.

“We are doing what we can to take local action, and we want the Government to support our activity here in Oxford - and the plans of other local authorities nationally - with our plan for clean air.

"We do not want our residents to continue to have to live, commute, and work in polluted air.”

Other signatories include the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.