According to new research, breathing in Glasgow’s fine city air is the equivalent of smoking 44 cigarettes per day. Given that I smoke *and* live in Glasgow, it’s entirely possible that I’ll keel over before finishing this post.

It seems that Glasgow has the third worst air quality in Britain (Bath, home to Future Publishing, is second; Oxford is the worst), but that’s not really a surprise: Glasgow’s Hope Street, home to some of my favourite pubs and restaurants, has the dubious distinction of being the most polluted road in the UK. I live on the other side of the town from there, but even then the housework involves wiping oily black dust that’s seeped through cracks in the windowsills. Which is nice.

Perhaps it’s time to introduce the Congestion Charge to Glasgow.