The Victoria line is an air pollution “hotspot”, according to a new study on air quality in London.

A study published on Tuesday by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on Tuesday identified areas across the capital where air quality is dangerously low.

The report highlighted several problem areas on the tube, including the Victoria line, which along with the Bakerloo line had the highest airborne respirable dust levels.

Respirable dust is made of particles small enough to pass into the lungs and other organs in the human body.

These dusts have been linked to problems such as allergies and asthma, but are also thought in some cases to cause Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and lung cancer.

Philippa Oldham, lead author of the report and Institution of Mechanical Engineers member, said: “London is currently ranked as 15th out of 36 major global cities in terms of overall air quality, lagging behind other European cities such as Berlin and Vienna.

“The capital needs to prioritise this issue and create a modern Clean Air Act that takes a holistic approach.

“It must not just target individual sectors, but encourage everyone to play a role in reducing emissions.”

The report also concluded London had a “particularly bad” problem with nitrogen dioxide, with the compound being recorded in the capital at similar rates as seen in Shanghai and Beijing.

It proposed several measures to help cut air pollution in the capital, including incentivising freight deliveries outside peak hours and the phasing-out of vehicles with poor emissions records.

Last week, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced London had completed the first two weeks of January without breaching legal limits of nitrogen dioxide pollution for the first time a decades.

However, Mr Khan has conceded the limit is likely to be breached in the city again before the end of the month.