Britons are dying because of the Volkswagen emission scandal with dozens killed from fumes travelling across the North Sea from Germany and 'many times' more killed by pollution from cars on UK roads, a study suggests.

Between 2008 and 2015 Volkswagen rigged diesel cars so they could pass stringent environmental tests while emitting dangerous levels of pollution.

More than one million VW cars in Britain were fitted with ‘defeat devices’ which pumped deadly nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere at banned quantities.

Environmental researchers at MIT studied the impact of the scandal across Europe and found that based on the 2.6 million cars sold in Germany alone, 2,600 people will die up to 10 years early even if a complete recall is completed by the end of this year.

Yet only 1,100 of the deaths will actually occur in Germany, with more than 60 per cent of the premature mortalities affecting neighbouring countries, including Britain, Poland, France and the Czech Republic because pollution spreads on the wind.

The team estimates that 30 people will die in Britain from fumes which have travelled across the North Sea, but said the final death toll could be 'many times' greater. If the research was extrapolated to Britain's 1.2 million VWs more than 450 people may die as a result, although pollution in the UK is mitigated to a certain extent because we are an island.