The seaside town of Eastbourne once tempted the likes of Charles Dickens to leave the urban smog of London in search of cleaner air.

But, according to a new report from the Royal College of Physicians, the Sussex town is now one of the most dangerously polluted areas in Britain.

Despite sitting on the doorstep of the South Downs, Eastbourne is effectively trapped between pollution from London and from the continent and now contains levels of lethal particulates far higher than recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The new research shows that 44 major UK towns and cities now breach WHO guidelines on air quality with particulate levels so high they are causing 40,000 premature deaths each year, and six million sick days.

According to WHO, tiny particles - known as PM2.5s - should not exceed 10 micrograms per cubic metre of air.

But in most major urban areas, pollution is above healthy levels. In Glasgow it is 60 per cent higher than acceptable levels, while people in Southampton and London and Eastbourne regularly breathe in air that has 50 per cent more particulates than is healthy.

Dr Toby Hillman, one of the report's authors from the RCP, said: “We know the effects of poor air quality run from cradle to grave. It's a lifetime threat to human health.”