London Great Smog endIn 1952, after a dense four-day killer smog in London, England, sunshine was seen again as the fog was cleared by freshening winds and a rise in temperature. Since it began on 5 Feb 1952, it had caused at least 4,000 deaths and chaos for transportation as visibility was reduced to a few hundred yards. Although the London Underground had maintained service, bus service was vitually shut down whenever visibility was reduced so severely the roads became congested. During the time of dense fog, most flights in to London Airport were diverted to Hurn, near Bournemouth and linked by train with Waterloo. The many deaths were of mostly among the elderly, the very young, or those with medical problems. The cause of the smog was coal-burning. Drastic action was needed, resulting in the Clear Air Act of 1956.« |