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Dust will be sucked out of Tube stations and tunnels with industrial vacuum cleaners in an attempt to clean up the London Underground’s air.

Over 50 stations and five tunnels will be cleaned using the super strength vacuums and magnetic wands will be taken into tunnels every night to collect metal particles.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Tube staff and the millions of passengers who use the Underground regularly deserve to breathe the cleanest air possible.

"TfL’s new Underground air quality programme will help ensure dust and particles are kept to an absolute minimum.

“But I want to leave no stone unturned and I’ve also asked for an updated scientific analysis of pollution on the Tube so we can fully assess the air quality levels and take appropriate measures to ensure that the air is clean.”

A combination of the friction from Tube trains against their rails, air ventilated into the Tube network from above ground and skin particles from passengers all contribute to dust in the Tube system.

Previous independent scientific research funded by TfL in 2004 found that the composition of dust particles on the Tube was different from that above ground, and concluded that the dust did not contain components at levels which are likely to pose a risk to the health of passengers or staff.

However the Mayor said more than a decade has passed since the last set of wide-ranging tests and has today commissioned a new review of air quality in the Tube.

His measures include monitoring of air quality at 12 stations and the results available for commuters to see online. Monitors will also be placed within Tube trains.

He will also be taking advice from the Department of Health’s independent expert Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP), which provides advice on the health effects of air pollutants.

Mark Wild, Managing Director of London Underground, said: “We have been monitoring dust levels on the Tube for many years and, through a wide range of measures, have ensured that particle levels are well within Health & Safety Executive guidelines.

"But as scientific understanding of the effects of particles develops, we are ensuring that we’re both using the very latest research and that we’re doing everything possible to keep the air underground clean for our customers and staff.”

This summer the Mayor will also launch new plans to help tackle pollution at construction sites and funding for greener, less polluting vessels on the River Thames. He will also launch new air quality rules for the housing sector and other developments in the forthcoming London Plan.