A dad who ‘broke' his son’s heart has launched two campaigns in a bid to tackle air pollution in the area and possibly across London.

David Smith, 47, of West Hill, wants to raise £6,150 to buy an AQMesh 3gas air monitor so data can be tracked amid health problems linked with the harmful pollution levels.

He has also launched a petition to bring in 'Keep Clear' zones around bus stops but the managing director of a marketing consultancy wants to build a template which could be rolled out - both across Wandsworth and the capital.

He said: “When our son was two and a half years old, I broke his heart. I took away the thing that gave him the most joy – riding his little bike around Stockwell Skatepark. I did it for the right reasons, but it still hurts to this day.

“To get from our home in Wandsworth to Stockwell Skatepark by 10am – an hour before the bigger kids get there – we’d travel down West Hill, wait for the 37 bus to Lambeth Town Hall, then walk along the Brixton Road.

“Throughout this journey we were either walking alongside, standing next to or riding in lanes of slow moving or idling traffic.

“My son is now three years old and like millions of children across the UK, our son unknowingly breathes harmful levels of pollution every time he travels to nursery or school.

“Like any parent, I want to know if my child is in harm’s way. I want to know the level of pollution he is breathing and the likely damage to his small developing lungs.”

He proposes that the recorded data is transmitted to a cloud-based system which provides real-time air quality monitoring via an app for people to select their route to school or nursery, subsequently avoiding potentially problematic areas, but also wants the council’s backing to increase resources.

The father-of-four has also launched a petition which calls on Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor of London to introduce ‘Keep Clear’ zones on roads in front of bus stops.

A Wandsworth Council spokesman said: “We have a number of monitors on busy roads across the borough, and these have provided crucial evidence in our efforts to improve air quality levels, including for example, our successful lobbying for the replacement of diesel buses in Putney High Street.

“They have also helped the council draw up a wide ranging and comprehensive series of policies to tackle air pollution. In the case of West Hill, it is part of TfL’s red route network, so they are the highway authority and any decision to site new equipment there could only be agreed by them.

“We would support this resident’s efforts to have this equipment installed there but it’s not within our remit to grant permission.”

A TfL spokeswoman said the Mayor has brought forward the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) with plans to expand it into the North /South Circular, as well as London-wide for heavy vehicles in a bid to tackle harmful NOx emissions.

She added: “We are working with Wandsworth Council to deliver a range of air quality improvements across the borough. This is being combined with work with local schools to encourage greater use of sustainable transport and reduce residents’ exposure to pollution.”

A total of £236 of the £6,125 has been raised at the time of writing.

To see the donation page, click here.

To see the petition, then click here.