A bid by the Government to delay publishing its plans to tackle illegal air pollution until after the General Election has failed at the High Court.

Mr Justice Garnham said a draft plan must be published the day after the local government elections on May 4 with the September date for publication of the final plan unchanged.

Air pollution causes 40,000 unexplained deaths in the UK each year and associated health complications costs the NHS £20bn per year.

There has been speculation the government's clean air plan could include potentially controversial measure such as charges for motorists to drive diesel vehicles, which cause much of the pollution, in towns and cities.

Defra has argued a delay is necessary in order to comply with election "purdah" rules on government announcements during the election period.