The Met Office has issued an update on the “toxic gas cloud” sweeping above parts of the UK.

It comes as the experts are continuing to monitor a sulphur dioxide plume which has originated from a volcano in Iceland.

Located in south-western Iceland, the volcano is erupting for the sixth time since December, spewing red lava through a new fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

The eruption began shortly after 9pm on Thursday (August 22) after a series of strong earthquakes and within an hour a 2.4-mile fissure had been cut through the Sundhnukur crater.

Authorities said the effects remain localised with road closures and do not threaten the population.

But how is it affecting us here in the UK and should we be concerned about the cloud of CO2?

At present, London, Norwich and Hull are among the cities “exposed”.

But the Met Office said the cloud is "high in the atmosphere" and will have "little influence on ground-level air quality,” according to Sky News.

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The forecasters added: “We're continuing to monitor any sulphur dioxide release originating from Iceland, with current forecasts suggesting little influence on UK surface air pollution in the coming days.”

However, although there are currently no concerns for the UK, the colourless gas does cause health symptoms including a sore throat, coughing and difficulty breathing, explains Sky News.

What is a sulphur dioxide cloud?

Sulphur dioxide is normally produced from “coal or crude oil combustion”, but in this case it has naturally occurred after a volcanic eruption.

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Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages one eruption every four to five years.

The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which spewed clouds of ash into the atmosphere and disrupted transatlantic air travel for months.

The latest eruption is not expected to affect air travel.