'CITIZEN scientists' will take to the streets of Oxford today to monitor how clean the air is.

A 'pioneering' air pollution monitoring project will being in 20 locations across the city today as it is UK Clean Air Day.

The project, by Oxford Friends of the Earth will measure levels of ultrafine dust particles that have an impact on human health known as PM2.5.

Donations from local people and a councillor have helped buy the 20 new particulate monitors from a specialist US company PurpleAir.

These are being installed outside people’s home and public buildings.

All will generate ‘live’ data about levels of particulate air pollution.

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Two of the new monitors are located next to the Oxford City Council monitoring station in St Ebbe's - currently the only one in Oxford that measures PM2.5 emissions.

This will enable Friends of the Earth and the city council to assess the accuracy of the new monitors, as compared to the city’s more expensive main monitoring station.

The aim of the project is to gather more information about local levels of PM2.5 particles and to understand where they come from.

The majority of these particles come from domestic sources like cooking, wood-burners, barbecues, as well as cars and trucks.

Chris Church, speaking for Oxford FoE said: “We are very aware that air pollution is a problem in many parts of the county – this is just one part of the work that needs to be done. We will accompany this with work to help people understand the risks of burning wood and coal.”