Children who live near a busy road more likely to develop allergies 'caused by car fumes'

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Researchers tested around 2,900 four-year-olds and a group of more than 3,000 six-year-olds for asthma, wheezing, eczema and sneezing.

They also looked at how near to major roads the children had lived at birth and aged two, three and six.

Children who live near a busy road are more likely to suffer from asthma, eczema and hay fever, researchers warn

After taking into account other factors that cause allergies, the scientists found children living closest to heavy traffic were 50 per cent more likely to have hay fever, eczema and bronchitis brought on by asthma, they report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

It is thought that dust, tyre and diesel engine particles do not only trigger allergies but actually cause them.

The study suggests that Britain's allergy epidemic could be partly caused by the steep rise in the number of cars and lorries.

The number of allergy sufferers has trebled in the past 20 years.

One in three people now suffers at some point.