In olden days i.e. the Fifties, London was from time to time engulfed in what was known as Smog. A mixture of smoke and fog. The fog was seasonal, the smoke was produced by a cocktail of traffic fumes, steam trains and the millions of coal fires that heated homes before the advent of central heating.

The clean air act which outlawed solid fuel fires coupled with the arrival of diesel locomotives (not always on time!) put paid to the worst excesses of Smog which could last several days and kill a number of elderly folk.

The menace from motor vehicle exhaust emissions remained unchecked. As the numbers of vehicles using the capital has increased this element of smog making has become the major ingredient in the lethal pie.

At last this threat is being addressed by the politicians and the levels of allowable emissions have been categorised.

On the 25th of Sepember 1995 something important happens. The emissions from motor vehicles will come under the revised lower levels of smut allowed.

The percentage of particles emitted will drop from 3.7 to 3.2 for turbos and from 3.2 to 2.5 for non turbos.

This is a most necessary step and is long overdue. Any visitor to London cannot fail to be aware of the foul emissions from a number of vehicles. Indeed the scene in Trafalgar Square is often reminiscent of a flotilla of Great War destroyers making smoke on sight of the enemy. Very traditional!

To help combat this threat to health and happiness and to encourage the move to cleaner air we are setting up the Grey Fox Smog Watch service.

Smog Watch will run on the Internet and will enable individuals to enter the details of any vehicle seen emitting smoke.

To enable us to pass these reports onto the proper authorities all reporters will need to enter their name and address, as they will not accept sightings without this information. They may be contacted by the authorities but their details will be treated in confidence In the case of HGVs, Buses, Coaches and cars this is the local Vehicle Inspectorate and in the case of Taxis it is the Police Public Carriage Office.

Each sighting requires the the folowing details: type of vehicle, date, time and place plus the registration details of the vehicle or in the case of Taxis the license number in the white plate on the rear of the cab.

Good Hunting!

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