Air pollution is expected to be high in the UK today because of light winds.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11481817/Health-alert-as-potentially-lethal-smog-hits-Britain.html 

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I suspect us Kent massive will get off lightly what with our wind being sourced from Scandinavia/North Sea at the moment.

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It very polluted here this morning as the skies look yellow smog instead of clear skies like yesterday.  Even so the clear skies yesterday wasn't azure blue but milky type.  NE winds often bring smoggy weather and a funny smell too. 

Hi Jiries, not so the case at this end, just popped out to rescue the emptied out wheelie bin and is actually fresh and bracing under this north east breeze despite the gloomy overcast skies. However, I do sometimes catch the scent of slurry coming in from the agricultural part of East Kent when our wind does come in from the north east but that would be classed as a localised feature.
  I tend to get the most poor air quality when the wind wafts in from the south or south east bringing continental muck our way and then get held in place by a decaying high pressure cell hanging over the UK.

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I can't recall ever having felt the air attack my lungs and tube like it did when I walk to our local tor just now to check the visibility. Truly disgusting air quality - at least for SW England.

Has the source been properly defined as yet?.

It does sound bad.

I can remember some days, quite a few years back in the eighties when we had major problems with cheap smokey coal in Dublin especially on calm cold days.(not that it could be the present problem)

It would be interesting to see exactly what is causing this present problem and how it can be resolved,especially if it is a danger to life.

Those responsible, if it is the case?,should collectively be brought to book.imo.

I remember when this kind of milky polluted air was the norm for any prolonged period of high pressure. Only really in the late 80s and 1990s did things improve, as sulphurous fuels were phased out, scrubbers added to factories and vehicle emissions properly controlled. It's a tribute in some ways to how much we have improved things in Western Euriope that events like this weeks' are remarked upon.

At the same time rivers and lakes across the continent that used to be virtually lifeless toxic sumps have been cleaned, seen the fish and the swimmers return. In my view the cleaning up of the post-industrial environment in the last 3 decades is one of the greatest achievements of modern Europe and (in places) North America. The Chinese and Indians are seeing at first hand what this continent used to look and smell like not so long ago.

I suspect the main culprit for this spell of pollution is the good old motor car, maybe with a few coal fired power stations thrown in.

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http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/ . Particulate air pollution being brought in on easterly winds. Pollution doesn't respect political borders:

High air pollution is currently (20 March 2015) being measured across a number of regions in England and Wales. This is due to winds bringing in pollution from the continent earlier this week, combined with locally generated pollution and still weather conditions.

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Now the air pollution issue is being notable at this end. I've just popped out to put the rubbish in the wheelie bin and came back indoors smelling like I've done a 10 hours shift in a smoke house.
  The air went all thick and smoky just as skies cleared at about sunset time and it has been like this ever since. I thought it might be someone letting a smelly bonfire off but it appears to be more than that now.

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