The mum of a nine-year-old girl whose death was linked to air pollution has been granted a new inquest into her daughter's death by the High Court.

Ella Kissi-Debrah died in February 2013 following three years of seizures and 27 visits to hospital for asthma attacks.

Her mother, Rosamund Kissi-Debrah, applied to the court for a fresh inquest after new evidence came to light regarding air pollution levels close to their home.

Ella lived 25 metres from the South Circular Road in Lewisham in south-east London - one of the capital's busiest roads - and a 2018 report concluded it was likely that unlawful levels of pollution contributed to her fatal asthma attack.

An inquest in 2014 focused on Ella's medical care and concluded the cause of her death was acute respiratory failure as a result of a severe asthma attack.

But a 2018 report by Professor Stephen Holgate found air pollution levels at the Catford monitoring station one mile from Ella's home "consistently" exceeded lawful EU limits over the three years prior to her death.

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox granted the family permission to apply for a fresh inquest in January after deciding there was "new evidence which may alter the substantial truth of Ella's death".

Ms Kissi-Debrah previously said it was "simply unacceptable in this day and age" that children were dying because of the air they breathe.

She added: "This is the latest step in finding out if it was air pollution that snatched my beautiful and bubbly daughter away from me.

"While nothing will bring her back, I hope a new inquest will give me the answers I need and help hold those in power, who allow our cities to have dangerous and illegal levels of pollution, to account.

"I hope that Ella's case will make the Government take the issue of air pollution seriously and will help prevent other parents from having to mourn the death of their child."

Prof Holgate, a leading expert in asthma and air pollution whose report was quoted in a submission to the Attorney General, found a "striking association" between Ella's hospital admissions and air pollution episodes.

He concluded there was "a real prospect that without unlawful levels of air pollution Ella would not have died".

After the fresh evidence emerged, more than 170,000 people signed a Change.org petition set up by Ella's mother, calling for a fresh inquest.