A high air pollution alert covers Crouch End and all of London on Tuesday 10 November. Fog and still air trapped smoke from fireworks and wood burners.

Air pollution across London, Crouch End and the rest of Haringey included, is forecast to reach “high” levels on Tuesday 10 November, and the Mayor of London has issued an alert asking anyone vulnerable to look after themselves and everyone else to cut back on burning and driving. City Hall said on Monday that it is the fourth high pollution alert in the capital this year.

The problem is fine particles. Dense fog and very light winds let pollution build up over the weekend, and it was still hanging over the city on Monday morning. City Hall said smoke from Bonfire Night and Diwali fireworks, and from wood burning, is likely to have contributed. It did not single out any one display; the biggest locally was the sold-out Fireworks and Drone Festival at Alexandra Palace on Saturday and Sunday.

Forecasters at Imperial College London advised the Mayor to issue the alert. Their forecasts are checked against airTEXT, the Met Office and London Air before an alert goes out. The alert is also shown on every bus stop countdown sign in London, Haringey’s stops included, and on the Underground.

Who should take care

The “moderate” and “high” thresholds come from Defra’s national Daily Air Quality Index. City Hall said both are well above the World Health Organization’s air quality guideline values and mark the point at which short-term health effects may occur, “particularly for people with pre-existing conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).”

Haringey Council’s air quality page says particles of the PM2.5 size “can reach deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream”, and that short-term exposure “can trigger or make health conditions, like asthma, worse.” It names children, older people and people with heart and lung conditions as the most affected. The whole borough is an Air Quality Management Area, which means the council has a legal duty to measure pollution against the national limits.

Since 2024 the alerts have also gone to NHS GPs and emergency department consultants. City Hall said the details of this one have been shared with GPs and emergency departments across London so they can advise vulnerable patients. Schools and the London boroughs get the alert too.

The Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Mete Coban, said: “Toxic air is responsible for thousands of premature deaths in London each year, which is why the Mayor has done everything in his power to tackle it, which includes launching the world’s largest clean air zone.

“It is really important we all do our bit to protect those who are most vulnerable as we continue working to build a safer and greener London for all.”

What City Hall is asking

The Mayor’s office asks Londoners to:

  • walk, cycle and use public transport more, and avoid the busiest roads when you can
  • drive less, and when you do drive, car share if you can, switch the engine off when you are not moving and keep the vehicle well maintained
  • compost garden waste or take it to a refuse centre rather than burning it
  • avoid unnecessary burning at home, such as a wood burner or open fire

City Hall also points out that particle pollution crosses borders: concentrations depend heavily on the weather, on background levels and on sources outside London, including on the continent, as well as on local emissions.

The smoke rules in Haringey

Haringey’s smoke rules are already in force. The council’s smoke control page says the whole of Haringey is a smoke control area, so “only very small amounts of smoke can come from your chimney.” Open fires may burn only smokeless fuel, and a wood burning stove can be used only if it is a model approved by Defra.

The council lists outdoor fires, garden bonfires included, alongside open fireplaces and wood burning stoves as sources of particle pollution. Smoke can be reported to the council’s pollution team at pollution@haringey.gov.uk or on 020 8489 1000.

What it means for you

  • If you or someone you care for has asthma or COPD, City Hall’s message is to look after yourselves on Tuesday; your GP practice has been sent the details of this alert.
  • If you have a wood burner or open fire you do not need for heat, Tuesday is a day to leave it unlit. If you do need it, Haringey’s rules already limit you to smokeless fuel or a Defra-approved stove.
  • Garden waste does not need a bonfire. It is taken free at the Western Road Reuse and Recycling Centre in Wood Green, or collected weekly from a £90-a-year brown bin; our bin collection days guide has the details.
  • For short trips into Crouch End on Tuesday, walking or the bus keeps one more car off the Broadway, and City Hall advises keeping away from the busiest roads where you can.
  • City Hall explains how its alerts and forecasts work on its air pollution monitoring and forecasting page.

Sources