London fog has given way to London smog.
A toxic brew of local and European pollution and blowing sand from the Sahara has covered London in a choking blanket of smog Wednesday.
Schools in the city and across parts of southern England closed their playgrounds and kept kids inside, and medical workers are reporting a surge in breathing problems as the smog settled in for a second day.
Environmentalists and political opponents criticized Prime Minister David Cameron after he dismissed the haze as “a naturally occurring weather phenomenon.”
Green Party European lawmaker Keith Taylor said Cameron’s “flippant response to this invisible killer is utterly disgraceful” as the pollution hit the top measurement of 10.
The London Ambulance Service said it was getting a higher-than-normal number of calls from people with breathing difficulties, asthma and heart problems.
The World Health Organization says air pollution kills about 7 million people a year globally.