The effects of a new Silvertown Tunnel on families will be “criminal” and “unjust”, according to an expert in air pollution.

Dr Ian Mudway of Kings College London was speaking at a public meeting held by Friends of the Earth last Monday at St Matthias Community Centre in Poplar High Street.

It came after Newham and Greenwich councils launched their Bridge The Gap campaign calling for more river crossings in East London.

The councils are proposing a new tunnel between Silvertown and Greenwich and a new bridge at Gallions Reach retail park.

The councils believe the crossings will provide relief to traffic at the Blackwall Tunnel and support the development of Royal Docks and Greenwich.

But early findings of research carried out at King’s College London suggest poor air quality is reducing the lung capacity of children in London.

The research was carried out at schools in Tower Hamlets and Hackney.

Campaigner Alan Haughton, of Poplar, said: “The huge population of kids in Tower Hamlets are already suffering the effects of the Blackwall Tunnel and the surrounding roads. The ‘Bridge The Gap’ Campaign is so ignorant of the facts it should be rebranded as a ‘Kill the Kids’ Campaign.”

TfL are currently consulting on the creation of a four lane Silvertown Tunnel and a new ferry at Gallions Reach.