A new study has revealed that air pollution could be shortening the lives of children in Birmingham by seven months.

The new research, carried out by King’s College London, found that a child born in 2011 may die between two to seven months early if exposed over their lifetime to projected future pollution concentrations.

The study, which was commissioned by the UK100 network, also calculated that the economic costs of dealing with air pollution-related health issues are between £190m and £470m on average per year.

Polly Billington, director of the UK100 network, commented: ‘This report should be a wake-up call to policymakers not just in Birmingham but across the country.

‘We need to tackle this invisible killer, which is cutting the lives of children and causing health misery for thousands of adults.’