Environmental threats across every constituency in England revealed

The data shows how millions of people are living with overlapping environmental threats and comes ahead of the publication of the government’s revised climate plan, due by 29 October. Friends of the Earth says the plan must improve people’s lives through measures including lower bills, better home insulation and new green jobs.

The new analysis exposes stark realities for MPs of all parties: Reform UK's deputy leader represents England’s most flood-threatened constituency, Labour MPs make up 47 of the 50 worst areas for air pollution, and the two constituencies in England with most hours of sewage overflows are both Conservative seats in Devon.  

It also reveals there are eight constituencies that appear in both the top 20 for least green space and for risk to the population from extreme heat – seven of which are in London.

Constituency data can be viewed using an online portal, which gives people easy access to environmental records for where they live. Alongside environmental risks, the project tracks how environmental matters show up in our daily lives – from green space and transport use to public attitudes on climate and renewables.

Mike Childs, head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said:

“This data shows the true scale of environmental threats across England and reinforces why a strong climate plan is so important to protect communities. Flooded homes, dangerous heatwaves and filthy air are not abstract risks but realities for millions.

“Politicians who push false environmental narratives or call for weaker climate action are putting the people that elected them at risk. By producing an ambitious programme to reduce emissions, the government can simultaneously cut bills, boost renewable energy, create green jobs and improve public transport. Outside the climate plan, it must also do far more to protect nature by taking a zero-tolerance approach to polluters to end the poisoning of our rivers and coasts.

“Climate action is not just about the environment – it’s primarily about people and creating healthier, happier places for us all to live. Our tool gives people the power to hold their MPs accountable for the environmental challenges in their constituency.”

Rising flood risk is threatening whole communities

In Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice, Reform UK), over 90% of homes are at risk from flooding – the highest in the country. Despite this, Tice’s party has consistently opposed climate action. Boston and Skegness also has the third lowest tree cover in England.

Over 70% of homes in South Holland and The Deepings, Lincs (John Hayes, Con) are threatened with flooding. It has the lowest tree cover in England at just 2.2%.

Hull is among the cities most exposed to flooding, with three quarters of homes in Hull North & Cottingham (Diana Johnson, Lab) and Hull East (Karl Turner, Lab) at risk.

Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Neil Coyle, Lab), has the highest figures for London, with almost 78% of homes at risk.

Toxic air is a major public health issue

Every single neighbourhood in over 90% of constituencies in England has unsafe levels of air pollution. 47 of the top 50 constituencies with the worst air pollution are Labour seats – the exceptions are Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn, Ind), Leicester South (Shockat Adam, Ind), and Spelthorne (Lincoln Jopp, Con). This means many of the government’s backbenchers represent some of the most polluted constituencies.

59 constituencies have neighbourhoods with air pollution more than double that of World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. 11 of these are in London, underlining the need for cleaner transport and faster electric vehicle rollout.

Devon records worst figures for sewage overflows

Constituencies represented by Geoffrey Cox (Con, Torridge & Tavistock) and Mel Stride (Con, Central Devon) recorded the most hours of raw sewage overflows in England, with 70,000+ spill hours during 2024.

Cumbria constituencies Penrith and Solway (Markus Campbell-Savours, Lab) and Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron, LD) also rank highly, while there are eight Liberal Democrats representing constituencies in the top 20 for hours of sewage overflows.

Extreme heat is an invisible but deadly hazard

All of London's 1,002 neighbourhoods are classified as high risk for extreme heat – making it England's heat crisis capital. The region with the lowest heat risk is the North East, with just 5.3% of neighbourhoods at risk.

20 constituencies – the majority in London – are classified as having 100% of neighbourhoods at high risk from extreme heat. They include Tottenham (David Lammy, Lab) and Birmingham Ladywood (Shabana Mahmood, Lab). Birmingham Ladywood also ranks among the worst for air pollution and energy poverty – a concentration of multiple overlapping threats.

Energy costs deepen environmental inequalities

In Stoke-on-Trent Central (Gareth Snell, Lab) and Birmingham Perry Barr (Ayoub Khan, Ind) nearly one in four households are struggling with energy costs. It’s a similar story in Leeds Central & Headingley (Alex Sobel, Lab), with over 21% of households facing severe financial pressure from their energy bills.

16 of the top 20 constituencies that rank highest with affording the cost of energy are in the West Midlands, with eight in Birmingham.

How people think and travel

As well as highlighting environmental risks, the data shows how different constituencies fare on transport, with data published around electric chargers, bus trips, car ownership and how people travel to work.

The data also details public attitudes to climate change, nature and renewable energy across every constituency in England. Nationally, it shows that 80% of the public are in favour of expanding UK renewable energy infrastructure and investing in green jobs. It also lays bare that 78% of people think that those who produce the most pollution should pay more to fund environmental improvements.

Political accountability demands MP action

With the government's legally-binding climate plan due on 29 October, MPs must demand action from the government that protects their voters. This must include:

• An ambitious and legally binding climate plan to significantly cut emissions, restore nature and protect people, with clear constituency-level targets
• Mass home insulation improvement programmes to cut fuel poverty, keep homes cool in summer and warm in winter
• An end to untreated sewage dumping, backed by stronger regulation, monitoring and enforcement
• Stronger clean air laws to ensure air quality meets World Health Organisation safety standards, accelerated by public transport investment and faster transition to electric vehicles

ENDS

For more information or interviews, contact Friends of the Earth press office: 020 7566 1649 or [email protected].

Notes to editor:

Friends of the Earth’s local environmental data tool features a range of data on key environmental issues in local authority areas and political constituencies in England. The data is available for everyone to understand the environmental picture where they live. 

Access the tool: Local Environmental Data 
Full data: Full data-set for England
Methodology and Sources: Methodology and sources of information

For air pollution, neighbourhoods are defined by the Office as National Statistics (ONS) as LSOAs [Lower layer Super Output Areas] and they have an average population of around 1,500. The geographical size varies considerably, with rural LSOAs much larger than urban LSOAs.

For heat risk, neighbourhoods are those defined by the ONS as MSOAs [Middle layer Super Output Areas] and have an average population of around 8,000. We used MSOA neighbourhoods for heat risk analysis due to data constraints and granularity.

Neighbourhoods are identified as risk from extreme heat due to a combination of physical characteristics (such as little green space, lots of flats), more physical risk (for example, an older population and health issues) and low ability to respond (including low income). These are the neighbourhoods that need prioritising for adaptation measures. More information available: Nearly 10,000 care homes in heatwave hot spots | Friends of the Earth

Air pollution – worst five constituencies, with number of neighbourhoods failing World Health Organisation air quality standards:
•    Kensington and Bayswater, Joe Powell, Lab: 91
•    Birmingham Ladywood, Shabana Mahmood, Lab: 84
•    Chelsea and Fulham, Ben Coleman, Lab: 80
•    Cities of London and Westminster, Rachel Blake, Lab: 77
•    Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West, Chi Onwurah, Lab: 76

Flooding – top five constituencies with highest percentage of properties at risk from flooding
•    Boston and Skegness, Richard Tice, Reform UK: 91.6%
•    Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham, Diana Johnson, Lab: 85.3%
•    Bermondsey and Old Southwark, Neil Coyle, Lab: 77.7%
•    Kingston upon Hull East, Karl Turner, Lab: 74.2%
•    South Holland and The Deepings, John Hayes, Con, 72.9%

High heat risk – top five constituencies with most amount of people at risk from high heat
•    Birmingham Ladywood, Shabana Mahmood, Lab: 145,105
•    Poplar and Limehouse, Apsana Begum, Lab: 140,092
•    Liverpool Riverside, Kim Johnson, Lab: 137,019
•    Tottenham, David Lammy, Lab: 136,100
•    Barking, Nesil Caliskan, Lab: 135,100

Sewage – top five constituencies for total hours of sewage overflows
•    Central Devon, Mel Stride, Con: 70,212
•    Torridge and Tavistock, Geoffrey Cox, Con: 68,842
•    Penrith and Solway, Markus Campbell-Savours, Lab: 60,477
•    Westmorland and Lonsdale, Tim Farron, LD: 55,266
•    Daventry, Stuart Andrew, Con: 53,840

Tree cover – top five constituencies with lowest tree cover
•    South Holland and The Deepings, John Hayes, Con: 2.2%
•    North East Cambridgeshire, Steve Barclay, Con: 2.3%
•    Boston and Skegness, Richard Tice, Reform UK: 2.7%
•    Southend East and Rochford, Bayo Alaba, Lab: 3.7%
•    Spen Valley, Kim Leadbeater, Lab: 3.9%

Green space – five constituencies with least green space (m2 per population)
•    Islington North, Jeremy Corbyn, Ind: 3
•    Islington South and Finsbury, Emily Thornberry, Lab: 3
•    Bethnal Green and Stepney, Rushanara Ali, Lab: 4
•    Queen's Park and Maida Vale, Georgia Gould, Lab: 4
•    Poplar and Limehouse, Apsana Begum, Lab: 5

Climate change concerns – top five constituencies most worried about climate change*
•    Oxford East, Anneliese Dodds, Lab: 88.2%
•    Hove and Portslade, Peter Kyle, Lab: 87.6%
•    Brighton Pavilion, Siân Berry, Green: 87.6%
•    Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, Chris Ward, Lab: 86.6%
•    Putney, Fleur Anderson, Lab: 86.5%

Energy costs – top five constituencies with households struggling with energy costs
•    Stoke-on-Trent Central, Gareth Snell, Lab: 11,738
•    Birmingham Ladywood, Shabana Mahmood, Lab: 10,904
•    Blackpool South, Chris Webb, Lab: 9,528
•    Birmingham Perry Barr, Ayoub Khan, Ind: 9,496
•    Birmingham Erdington, Paulette Hamilton, Lab: 9,440

Green jobs – top five constituencies with lowest employment in green industries
•    Blackpool South, Chris Webb, Lab: 1.6%
•    Lewisham North, Vicky Foxcroft, Lab: 1.9%
•    Lewisham East, Janet Daby, Lab: 1.9%
•    Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West, Chi Onwurah, Lab: 1.9%
•    Kingston and Surbiton, Ed Davey, LD: 1.9%

*Friends of the Earth polling: The polling also finds that 8 in 10 of the British public support the expansion of the UK's renewable energy infrastructure, including most Conservative and Reform voters.

Friends of the Earth climate mandate
In March 2025, Friends of the Earth published The Fairness Test: a mandate for bold climate policy, which set out a 10-point checklist for the government’s new climate plan – which must be published by 29 October.

About Friends of the Earth: Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland (EWNI) is the UK's largest grassroots network. We're part of a global environmental justice community dedicated to the protection of the natural world and the wellbeing of everyone in it. We bring together more than two million people in 70 countries, combining people power all over the world to transform local actions into global impact. For more information visit: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/ and follow us on X or Instagram at @friends_earth, or find us on LinkedIn.