A £3million investment to help reduce harmful emissions from Greater Manchester's bus fleet has been welcomed by Mayor Andy Burnham.

The city region is one of 20 local authorities to successfully bid to the national Clean Bus Technology Fund, the government has announced.

In Greater Manchester funding will be used to allow bus operators to retrofit vehicles with technology to reduce tailpipe emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – one of the most harmful pollutants – and contribute to better air quality.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) will now ask Greater Manchester’s bus operators to bid for funding, with a view to targeting areas with high concentrations of NO2.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Air pollution is one of the most pressing public health issues of our times. We have already taken steps to invest in cleaner buses in Greater Manchester and this funding will help us go further.

“While this is good news, I’m still extremely concerned that the level of government funding available is inadequate to address the scale of the problem.

“The Government’s Clean Air Plan places the burden of tackling emissions on local authorities but lacks specifics on national action, and we need a range of local and national measures to address this effectively.

“Investing in cleaning up local bus fleets will be critical to ensuring bus plays its role in addressing air pollution, both through cleaner vehicles and by offering a more attractive way to travel than the private car.”