The North Circular road is the most congested road in London.

There are around 56 hours of delays on the northbound stretch of the busy road every year, according to research by GoCompare.

The study also showed that London is the most congested city in the UK, with drivers being stuck in traffic for a total of 73 hours each year.

This was followed closely by Manchester and Aberdeen where drivers spend 73 and 39 hours in traffic respectively per year.

Out of all cities in Europe London also ranks second highest for traffic congestion levels only topped by Moscow where drivers spend 91 hours in traffic queues every year.

Caroline Russell, chairman of the London assembly environment committee said: “London has too many vehicles on our roads, they cause congestion and pollution that worsen our health, cause delay to journeys and make our streets hostile places to walk and cycle.

Ms Russell has previously spoken out about the importance of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) being extended to cover the whole of London including the North and South Circular roads.

The proposed ULEZ will form a protected area in which most vehicles will need to meet exhaust emission standards or pay a daily charge.

The ULEZ will begin in April 2019 covering all of central London and it has been proposed that is should be extended to the North and South Circular Roads from October 2021 onwards.

The ULEZ has been controversial, in Chingford, where residents will need to pay £12.50 to drive to their local hospital, Whipps Cross in Leytonstone, or the other side of the North Circular Road.

However, Ms Russell has continued to champion its extension, adding: “Everyone in London should be able to trust the air they breathe – people in outer London shouldn’t be excluded from the Mayor’s clean air zone and I’d like to see it extended to cover the whole city.

“To make sure the Mayor realises his aim of getting 80% of our journeys made by public transport, walking or cycling he really needs to bring in a smart road-charging system that works on distance and how polluting vehicles are rather than a blunt one-size-fits-all fee.”