Environmental organisation Milieudefensie is taking the Dutch government to court this week, demanding it takes immediate action to ensure air quality meets official directives.

The case will be heard by judges in The Hague on Wednesday. Milieudefensie claims that the government has been damaging citizens’ health for years. ‘Every day we breathe in unhealthy air and that means tens of thousands of people get ill and thousands die as a consequence,’ a spokesman told the Parool.

The paper said a recent health board report revealed the air quality in Amsterdam has not improved in recent years and concentrations of nitrogen dioxide have worsened.