WAVERLEY Borough Council has withdrawn its controversial 2016 Air Quality Annual Status Report following criticism that is has grossly under-estimated the scale of Farnham’s air pollution problem.

The council commissioned an independent review of the 2016 report earlier this month after Farnham-based air quality expert David Harvey disputed the validity of its data, commenting that air pollution is getting worse in Farnham - not better as the council claims.

In a ‘level three’ complaint to Waverley’s new executive director Tom Horwood, Mr Harvey requested the council withdraw the offending 2016 report, correct and re-issue it, and Waverley this week heeded his first demand, deleting the document from its website.

A council spokesman confirmed the review of the 2016 report is likely to be published in the autumn, while the 2017 draft report is currently with DEFRA for review, and once approved will be presented to the next available executive meeting for approval and publication.

Mr Harvey addressed the issue in an interview with BBC Radio Surrey on August 12, and called on Waverley’s political leaders to stop “dragging their feet” and wholeheartedly back a pedestrianisation scheme to tackle Farnham’s air pollution.

Commenting that air pollution is believed to cause up to 500 premature deaths in Surrey every year, Mr Harvey said: “Most local authorities are legally responsible for air quality, but they don’t have the tools or the powers to control it.

“But in Farnham, two years ago there was a referendum on pedestrianisation that was passed by the people of Farnham. Pedestrianisation would sort out the air quality problem, and they could easily introduce a temporary scheme for a year and see how it goes.

“Waverley council has a legal responsibility to try and improve air quality in Farnham, and should show some political leadership and back this scheme instead of dragging their feet.”

A public consultation on an estimated £5 million re-modelling of Farnham town centre, including a part-pedestrianisation scheme as backed by MP Jeremy Hunt and 53 per cent of people to vote in a referendum in 2014, was set to take place this autumn.

However, this has been delayed after Surrey County Council’s Waverley Local Committee withdrew its offer of funding for the consultation. Farnham councillors and Mr Hunt are pushing for the topic to be raised again at the next Local Committee meeting on September 22.

Responding in a statement to BBC Surrey, Waverley defended its record on air pollution, commenting that it designated an air quality management area in Farnham in 2008 and recently established a cross-agency steering group to investigate solutions to the problem.

However, a council spokesman added Mr Harvey’s complaint is being taken “very seriously” and confirmed it has sent its air quality status report to an independent auditor, “in order to be absolutely certain that the report is accurate”.

The spokesman continued: “If the results show the data is incorrect the council will immediately rectify the mistake, re-publish the report, review if any new actions need to be taken and put in place measures to help ensure inaccuracies do not happen in the future.”

Mr Harvey’s BBC Surrey interview can be heard in full online atwww.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05bb6pp, approximately one hour and 10 minutes into the programme.