SmogRank / World / United Kingdom / England / January 2026
Most polluted cities in England, United Kingdom, January 2026
57 cities in England, United Kingdom ranked by their average PM2.5 over the 31 days. Worst: Northampton at 13.9 µg/m³, #818 of 2,593 cities in the world. Cleanest: Newton Abbot at 3.8. 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.
- 1Cambridgelow-cost sensors 6%
- 2Dartford 4%
- 3Northampton 4%
- 4London 3%
- 5Scunthorpe 0%
- 6Leeds 0%
- 7Sunderland 0%
- 8Kingston upon Hull 0%
- 9York 0%
- 10Newcastle upon Tyne 0%
- 11Doncaster 0%
- 12Sheringham 0%
- 12Norwich 0%
- 12Barnsley 0%
- 15Wigan 0%
- 16Nottingham 0%
- 17Sheffield 0%
- 17Manchester 0%
- 19Derby 0%
- 20Chesterfield 0%
- 21Leicester 0%
- 21Hayes 0%
- 21Bexley 0%
- 24Luton 0%
- 25Stoke-on-Trent 0%
- 26Hoo 0%
- 26Brightlingsea 0%
- 28Gillingham 0%
- 29Plymouth 0%
- 29Halesworth 0%
- 31Storrington 0%
- 31Birminghamlow-cost sensors 0%
- 33Bristol 0%
- 33Brighton 0%
- 35Burwell 0%
- 36Southampton 0%
- 36Reading 0%
- 36Cheadle Hulme 0%
- 39Royal Leamington Spa 0%
- 40Middlesbrough 0%
- 40Liverpool 0%
- 40Cannock 0%
- 43Preston 0%
- 43Pickering 0%
- 45Speke 0%
- 46Irlam 0%
- 47Portsmouth 0%
- 48Westburylow-cost sensors 0%
- 49Oxford 0%
- 50Seaford 0%
- 51Saltash 0%
- 52High Peak 0%
- 53Street 0%
- 53Honiton 0%
- 53Andover 0%
- 56Barnstaple 0%
- 57Newton Abbot 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, January 2026 · All cities in United Kingdom, January 2026 · England now
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SmogRank, most polluted cities in England, United Kingdom, PM2.5, January 2026, smogrank.com/gb/region/england/history/2026-01 (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.