SmogRank / World / United Kingdom / England / December 2025
Most polluted cities in England, United Kingdom, December 2025
53 cities in England, United Kingdom ranked by their average PM2.5 over the 31 days. Worst: Northampton at 10.5 µg/m³, #1,221 of 2,960 cities in the world. Cleanest: Middlesbrough at 4.6. A city needs measurements on 70% of the days to be ranked.
Ranked by unhealthy days: the share of each city's measured days with a daily mean over 35.4 µg/m³ (US AQI 101+), Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups or worse on the US EPA's scale. Ties go to the higher average.
- 1Northampton 0%
- 2Scunthorpe 0%
- 2Plymouth 0%
- 4London 0%
- 4Leeds 0%
- 6Storrington 0%
- 7Brighton 0%
- 8Southampton 0%
- 8Hayes 0%
- 10Hoo 0%
- 10Bexley 0%
- 12Luton 0%
- 13Sheringham 0%
- 13Doncaster 0%
- 15Kingston upon Hull 0%
- 16Portsmouth 0%
- 16Manchester 0%
- 16Derby 0%
- 19Wigan 0%
- 19Nottingham 0%
- 19Gillingham 0%
- 22Seaford 0%
- 22Bristol 0%
- 22Brightlingsea 0%
- 25Leicester 0%
- 25Birminghamlow-cost sensors 0%
- 27York 0%
- 27Stoke-on-Trent 0%
- 27Norwich 0%
- 30Sheffield 0%
- 30Chesterfield 0%
- 32Reading 0%
- 32Newcastle upon Tyne 0%
- 34Sunderland 0%
- 34Cambridgelow-cost sensors 0%
- 36Royal Leamington Spa 0%
- 36Cannock 0%
- 36Barnsley 0%
- 39Speke 0%
- 39Burwell 0%
- 41Preston 0%
- 42Street 0%
- 42Cheadle Hulme 0%
- 44Liverpool 0%
- 44Halesworth 0%
- 46Honiton 0%
- 46Andover 0%
- 48Dartford 0%
- 49Oxford 0%
- 49Irlam 0%
- 51Saltash 0%
- 52High Peak 0%
- 53Middlesbrough 0%
Low-cost sensors: consumer units, counted only in cities with no government-grade monitor; they read close to reference monitors on the whole, but 15 to 25% high in humid air. How we use them.
The US EPA's Air Quality Index for PM2.5 (2024 breakpoints). Show values as: µg/m³ · US AQI · India AQI · China AQI · European AQI · UK DAQI · Canada AQHI+. About the scales
All cities in the world, December 2025 · All cities in United Kingdom, December 2025 · England now
Use this board
SmogRank, most polluted cities in England, United Kingdom, PM2.5, December 2025, smogrank.com/gb/region/england/history/2025-12 (accessed 6 Oct 2026).
You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms. Raw monitor readings in bulk are published by OpenAQ, under each provider's licence.