MORE than 50,000 patients at some of Bournemouth's GP surgeries are living with dangerous levels of air pollution, a new survey has discovered.

Medical experts say the pollution can cause early death and is linked to asthma, heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.

Despite being beside the seaside, sandwiched between the New Forest and the Jurassic Coast, the town came fifth in the top ten of places in the south west where some residents are suffering unsafe pollution levels.

New analysis of air pollution data produced by the environmental cities network UK100, revealed that 17.9 million NHS patients in England are registered at a GP practice that exceeds the World Health Organisation annual limit for PM2.5 air pollution.

The analysis shows that more than 860,000 people in the south west - nearly 15 per cent of all GP patients living there - are registered in such surgeries meaning the air they breathe could be causing serious harm.

Researchers reckon that in Bournemouth 21 per cent of GP registered patients are living in areas with unsafe pollution levels.

According to the British Lung Foundation, who conducted some of the original research, the patients attend surgeries located in areas with levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, above the World Health Organisation’s limit.

PM2.5 are minuscule particles, invisible to the naked eye, that are small enough to pass through the lungs, and enter the bloodstream.

According to the Royal College of Physicians exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to asthma, heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer, with emerging evidence showing impacts on low birth weight, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The research is being published ahead of a major Clean Air Summit being hosted in London on Thursday, to be attended by the London Mayor Sadiq Khan as well as mayors and council leaders from across England. They are due to be joined by Environment Secretary Michael Gove Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and the Chief Executive of the NHS, Simon Stevens.

Mr Stevens said: "Air pollution causes thousands of hospital admissions and early deaths every year, causing up to 20,200 respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions every year, and is a grave threat to the nation’s health."

Previous scientific studies have put the cost to health as a result of car and van exhausts at £6bn.