More rural parts of England have air pollution levels comparable to major cities, according to new analysis from the Healthy Air Coalition, challenging the assumption that poor air quality is an urban problem.

The ranking, based on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) data, finds areas including Cannock Chase, West Suffolk and Great Yarmouth have pollution levels on a par with Birmingham and parts of London.

Overall, 343 of 361 local authorities in England exceed the World Health Organization's recommended annual limit for PM2.5 – affecting an estimated 57.9 million people.

The analysis also identifies 27 ‘double-burden’ areas where the highest pollution levels coincide with the highest levels of deprivation, including East London boroughs, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham.

Toxic air is estimated to contribute to up to 43,000 deaths every year in the UK.

The Healthy Air Coalition – a group of more than 40 charities – is calling on the Government to introduce a new Clean Air Act aligned with World Health Organization guidelines ahead of the King's Speech.

Dr Camilla Kingdon, chair of the Healthy Air Coalition and senior NHS paediatrician, says: ‘These figures should be a wake-up call for every politician in Westminster. We are not talking about a niche environmental concern – we are talking about 58 million people, in every corner of England, breathing air that falls short of what is safe. And the communities bearing the greatest burden are the ones that already have the least.

‘This is a policy failure, and it is one that the Government can change. We are calling on them to treat air quality inequality as the public health emergency it is and enshrine a Clean Air Act that can match the dangers the country is facing.’