AIR pollution killed more than 30 people in Inverclyde in just one year, experts have claimed.

In the first report of its kind, UK Government body Public Health England (PHE) have provided an estimate of the number of deaths they believe have been caused as a result of long-term exposure to man-made particles floating in the atmosphere.

Their figures say that 32 people in Inverclyde die each year because of dirty air.

The stats are based on 989 people aged 25 and over who died in 2010.

But Inverclyde Council has dismissed the claims — and bosses say the air quality locally is among the best in Scotland and the UK.

Out of 32 local authorities, Inverclyde is ranked 25th for the number of air pollution related deaths.

Glasgow tops the list with 306 deaths blamed on it, with Orkney and the Shetland Islands joint-bottom with only six deaths attributed to pollution.

Pollutants being blamed for the figures include gases from burning fossil fuels and traffic fumes.

Dr Sotiris Vardoulakis, PHE’s head of air pollution and climate change, said: “The report has been produced to inform public health professionals and air quality specialists in local authorities about the likely effects of particle air pollution on public health in the UK.

“The estimates are intended to help local authorities consider air pollution among other public health issues.

“Much outdoor air pollution comes from burning fuels to generate heat and electricity, and from vehicles.

“Measures that significantly reduce particulate air pollution or cut exposure would be regarded as important public health initiatives.” PHE chiefs stressed that the number of lives lost is purely an estimate, because death certificates do not record air pollution as a cause of death and would instead state lung disease.

The average pollution level in Inverclyde is below that for the whole of Scotland and the UK.

The rate of attributable deaths in the district is 3.3 per cent, compared with nearly four per cent for Scotland and 5.3 per cent for the UK.

While the council is sceptical about the area’s pollution death rate, local authority chiefs say they are always continuing to cut harmful emissions.

A spokesman for Inverclyde Council said: “Air pollution is unlikely to have been the sole contributing factor in someone’s death but nevertheless — despite being one of the cleanest areas in the UK — it is something we take extremely seriously and we keep a close eye on.

“We all have our part to play in cutting pollution and improving the quality of the environment, benefiting the health of all who live in Inverclyde.”