Delivery firm DPD is rolling out a new air quality monitoring programme across six UK cities.

Project BREATHE is live in London with 100 mobile air quality sensors on the roof of DPD vans and 20 fixed units on the company’s PickUp shops close to schools and play areas.

By the end of May, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow and Cardiff will join the initiative, creating a network of over 400 sensors in total, delivering 1.5 million pollution readings a day.

The sensors, which are the size of a broadband router, take readings every 12 seconds and are focused on fine particles PM2.5 at breathing level, to provide real-time data designed to help visualise air quality and identify hotspots.

The UK roll-out is part of a Europe wide programme in partnership with Pollutrack, involving a planned total of 2,400 sensors across 20 European cities by the end of 2021.

Once the sensors are installed and monitored for two months, DPD will provide air quality information via the Pollutrack AirDiag system for local councils. The data will also be available to DPD customers and academics.

Olly Craughan, DPD's Head of CSR, comments: "BREATHE is a hugely significant project for us and complements our 2025 strategy to deliver via electric vehicles to 25 cities in the UK. “

“Typically, air quality monitoring has just been based on fixed positions, whereas we are mobile and cover the whole of a city at different times. We will be providing real-time, breathing level readings that could help improve air quality for millions of people.”

He adds: "The initial Covid lockdowns really highlighted the issue of air quality, as people got used to quieter roads and cities.”

“We hope that local authorities, other key stakeholders and academics can utilise this data to help inform further research and local decision making.”

“We are already working with the team behind the Birmingham Clean Air Zone and our data will play a key part in monitoring the real impact the zone makes, when it goes live on 1st June."