The new strategy – published on Monday – summarises previous plans to reduce road emissions including a pledge to end the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040.

It also includes new commitments to minimise particulate matter emissions from domestic stoves and open fires, and reduce pollution from agriculture. It is claimed that measures set out in the strategy will cut the costs of air pollution to society by £1.7Bn every year by 2020, rising to £5.3Bn every year from 2030.

But environmental law firm Client Earth’s head of public affairs Simon Alcock said: “This strategy doesn’t address the huge problem of air pollution from transport that is harming people’s health. It instead claims that it is being dealt with by other plans.

“What it doesn’t say is that those plans are in total disarray, so once again the government has missed a golden opportunity to clean up illegal levels of air pollution across the country and start protecting people’s health.”

Client Earth has won three legal cases against the Government in recent years over what it called ‘unlawful’ plans to tackle air pollution.

Campaign for Better Transport chief executive Darren Shirley said: “Overall we welcome the Government’s Clean Air Strategy and the commitment to cleaning up the nation's dirty air, but pollution from road traffic remains a significant challenge.

“Ultimately, only by bringing forward the rollout of electric vehicles and cutting traffic will we get the clean air we deserve and the current plans do not go far enough to achieve this.”‏

Buses champion Greener Journeys’ chief executive Claire Haigh said: “While we applaud the Government’s stated commitment to tackle pollution, the Clean Air Strategy is a missed opportunity to get people out of their cars and to support more efficient and reliable public transport.

She added: “Congestion is the biggest cause of roadside air pollution, and reducing the number of cars and vans on our roads is the only solution. A fully loaded double decker bus can take 75 cars off the road, and the latest generation of clean buses are cleaner than most modern diesel cars despite having 15 to 20 times the capacity.”

• Also this week, Southampton has become the latest city to opt against introducing a charge on the most polluting vehicles entering the city centre after a public consultation on its Clean Air Zone plans.

Southampton was one of five places mandated to introduce a Clean Air Zone by 2020 alongside Derby and Nottingham – which have also decided on non-charging plans – and Leeds and Birmingham where charges are expected to be introduced.

In a proposed business case published this week, Southampton City Council outlines plans to deliver compliance with the EU limit value for nitrogen dioxide by 2020 without the need for a charging zone.

“Over the last few years we've led on a range of projects which have made a noticeable difference and made our air cleaner from pollution,” said cabinet member for green city Steve Leggett.

Further measures are set to include trials of freight consolidation to reduce numbers of trips by heavy goods vehicles and ensuring all operating buses meet the highest emission standard.