A leading health charity has welcomed Birmingham's clean air zone plan as a crucial step forward in reducing the risk of heart attack and strokes.

The British Heart Foundation has given its full support to the scheme which will see high polluting cars and vehicles charged to enter Birmingham city centre from 2020.

The aim is to discourage motorists driving the most polluting cars and cut the illegally high levels of lethal Nitrogen Dioxide and other pollutants, most of which is caused by traffic fumes, in the city centre.

The BHF says that that the tiny polluting nanoparticles can access the blood and build up in the plaques found in diseased blood vessels, making them more likely to rupture and cause a heart attack or stroke.

Car exhaust fumes. (Library photo).

It also points out that there are 110,000 people living with heart and circulatory diseases in the city, with an estimated 2,178 heart and circulatory related deaths a year.

John Maingay, BHF’s head of policy, said: “Dangerous levels of air pollution are putting the heart health of the general public - both healthy individuals and particularly those with heart disease - at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke.

“In order to protect everyone living in Birmingham, it is vital that bold action is taken on air quality. A Clean Air Zone in the city will be a crucial step forward, as this is the most cost-effective way to tackle polluted air and minimise the damaging effect that it has on people’s heart health.

“However, this is only the beginning and the work to tackle air pollution must go further. The Clean Air Zone will help bring Birmingham into compliance with current EU legal limits, but the Government will ultimately need to go beyond these limits if we are to fully protect the public’s health.

“The current EU limits for particulate matter are much less stringent than those recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).That’s why we are continuing our call for Government to adopt WHO air quality guidelines to protect the UK public from the negative effects of air pollution.”

The British Lung Foundation has also given support to the zone which it says will help those with lung cancer and respiratory conditions.

The charity's director of policy Alison Cook said: "This is a huge step forward for Birmingham.

"Over the last few years, the damaging health effects of air pollution have been laid bare. We know it's linked to lung cancer, respiratory disease, stroke and heart disease.

"Now it's time to act. Introducing charging clean air zones is the most effective way to tackle dirty air so we're pleased to see this proposal in Birmingham's clean air plans."

Consultation over the CAZ closes on Friday and after which final plans will be developed in response to the consultation.

Find out more about about the clean air zone and whether or not your car is complaint, here .

Not everyone is happy with the plans , with businesses warning of higher delivery costs and some politicians warning that the charge will fall on those with older cars, lorries and vans and therefore less able to pay.