Whitty: Tell parents outside schools to stop cars idling

PEOPLE should have the courage to tell motorists to stop idling engines outside schools, Professor Sir Chris Whitty has said.

- Steph Spyro

The Chief Medical Officer wants individuals to make a “small tweak” to their lives to curb pollution.

He says in his annual report, released today, that many are “simply not aware” of their dirt-producing bad habits “and therefore a lot of this is about information”.

Prof Whitty said: “In terms of idling, I think we should make really clear to people the downsides of doing this – that they are actually causing significant problems, potentially, to vulnerable people.

“Almost every parent would consider someone who is idling a car outside their child’s school to be an incredibly anti-social person to have around.