HUNDREDS of people are dying early each year in the south because of air pollution, the Lib Dems have claimed.

Research from Europe showed that at least 564 people in the region – including 81 in Southampton – died prematurely each year because of pollutants mainly caused by traffic and transport, the party claimed.

Early deaths as a result of pollutants known as PM10s, or particulates, have been estimated to cost up to £20 billion annually, they said.

Across the UK, air pollution was said to have led to 24,000 premature deaths each year.

Parts of the UK have been in breach of legal limits set by the European Union on PM10s and nitrogen dioxide, which can cause lung and heart problems.

Simon Hughes, the party’s energy and climate change spokesman, called on the Government to take action to ensure the UK complied with EU air quality laws.

Mr Hughes said: “Air pollution is a silent killer. Every year, thousands of people across Britain are having their lives cut short because our Government is dragging its heels on cleaning up the air we breathe.

“Meeting European targets on air pollution is not optional – it’s a matter of life or death.”

But the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it believed the report by the European Environment Agency (EEA), on which the figures were based, was flawed because it assumed premature deaths were linked to air quality, and did not take into account existing health conditions.

A Defra spokesman said: “Air quality has improved significantly over the past ten years and we are committed to improving air quality further.

“The steps we have taken now mean 99 per cent of the UK meets EU air quality limits.

“We recognise that more needs to be done and we set out the measures we will consider taking in the Air Quality Strategy published in 2007.

“We are also working with those who can help to reduce emissions to explore what further approaches will be needed across the country.”