The Chilean government has suspended much heavy industry and taken cars off the road in the country’s capital to curb an environmental emergency in there.

Air pollution in Santiago has got so bad that the country’s Environment Ministry has had to issue an environmental state of emergency warning.

More than 900 industries have been suspended and about 40 per cent of the capital's 1.7 million cars have been taken off the road as a temporary measure.

Apart from the high man-made emissions levels, officials are blaming unusual weather conditions for the deadly smog.

“We're currently facing unusual conditions, with one of the driest Junes in over 40 years as well as really bad air circulation conditions in the Santiago valley in recent days, which boosts the concentration of contamination,” the Environment Ministry said in a statement reported by the Reuters .

People in the greater Santiago area have been advised to avoid outdoor exercise – a warning which has coincided with the country’s hosting of the Copa America football tournament.

The football tournament may have been part of the reason the authorities are so keen to deal with the smog, though this has not been confirmed.

In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK Birmingham Dust particles and pollution from cars hang over Birmingham as people suffering the effects of high levels of pollution In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK Dover A view of Dover in Kent, covered in haze and smog In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK Dover Dover Castle in Kent shrouded in haze and smog In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK Nottingham The River Trent in Nottingham is surrounded by smog and haze as record levels of air pollution continue to plague the UK In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK London A view of London skyline covered in smog.The environment department confirmed that the air pollution level could reach the top rung on its 10-point scale In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK London A view through smog over the 02 Arena and the Canary Wharf financial district in London. The BBC weather centre predicts a potential 8 or 9 out of 10 level of air pollution likely to be found in East Anglia and the East Midlands In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK London Dust from the Sahara combined with pollution from mainland Europe has contributed to one of the worst smogs of the year this week with record levels being recorded in parts of England In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK London The skyscrapers of the Canary Wharf business district in London are shrouded in smog, as seen from a viewing gallery on the Orbit sculpture in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park during an tour of the park organized for the media In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK London Air pollution hangs in the air lowering visibility towards central London and the City from east London In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK London The 02 Arena through smog in London In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK London The Shard and St Paul's Cathedral from Hampstead Heath in London In pictures: High air pollution levels across the UK London A general view of City Hall and the River Thames in London

In March the French government banned half of Paris’s cars from the road as a temporary measure to deal with smog.

In that country, cars with odd numbers and even numbered ending registrations were alternatively banned from the road.

The measure was announced to be successful and quickly withdrawn.

London suffers from crippling air pollution with one in 12 deaths in the capital linked to its smog.

The capital’s main shopping street, Oxford Street, breached its legal air pollution limit for the whole of 2015 just four days into January.