Councils have been awarded £11m to tackle air quality - but one town in Kent which has the worst pollution in the country hasn't received any cash.

Local authorities across England have been granted government funding to deliver projects to help reduce the impact of dirty air on people’s health.

A government minister described air pollution as "the single biggest environmental risk to public health".

The dirty air in Dartford is said to be equivalent to smoking 144 cigarettes a year.

An air quality study which looked at each individual square kilometre of the country found one part of the town – alongside the A282 Dartford Tunnel approach road to the north of Bean – had the worst levels of pollution.

The survey found 23 micrograms of pollutants per cubic metre of air – more than double the World Health Organisation's (WHO) recommended guideline of just 10.

Council leader Cllr Jeremy Kite (Con) said Dartford council did not apply for the latest round of funding.

He explained: "This was part of a series of grants that comes out every year. We have applied before and we will apply again. But the business of tacking air quality isn't about single episodes of activity. It is about a long term plan.

"Dartford has got some very specific issues. When you look at the grants and what they have been used for, very few of those would have tackled our core problem which relates to the strategic network.

"Air pollution is a big problem and it has a huge impact. But we know where it comes from. It comes from the tunnel and the crossing.

"That's why the biggest part of our work and our efforts is getting the crossing built at Gravesend."

Cllr Sacha Gosine, shadow leader of the council (Lab), said: "Dartford has one of the highest levels of air pollution in the local area, if not in the whole country.

"We are right next to the M25 and the Dartford crossing. If there is as accident on the crossing it has a massive impact on the rest of Dartford. Traffic comes to a standstill and this has an impact on families.

"If Dartford council didn't apply for funding. I'm severely disappointed.

"Enough hasn't been done in the past to tackle air pollution. A cross-party climate change committee is being formed, it is something that we have been pushing for.

"We will keep pushing for the council to improve the air quality in Dartford. We have to do this."

Canterbury City Council has been awarded £129,681 for the purchase of sensors to publicise real time data on air quality online, as well as an education and communication campaign.

Medway Council has been given £127,510. Some of the money (£14,000) will be used for anti-idling campaign in Rainham to encourage motorists to switch off their engines when they are not moving.

The rest will go towards a taxi and private hire ultra-low emission vehicle feasibility study which will include a two-week emissions testing programme at various locations across the Towns.

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has been awarded £36,664 for air quality monitoring and an anti-idling campaign with schools.

Jo Churchill, climate adaptation minister, said: "Air pollution is the single biggest environmental risk to public health. It has reduced significantly since 2010, but we know there is more to do, which is why we have doubled the amount of funding awarded this year to help local authorities take vital action.

"The projects supported by this latest round of funding include innovative local schemes to boost the use of green transport, increase monitoring of fine particulate matter – the most harmful pollutant to human health – and improve awareness of the risks of poor air quality around schools and in care homes.

"Local authorities are best placed to find solutions to the issues they face in their areas, and we will continue to work closely with them and offer support to help deliver real change in cleaning up our air."