• Ozone layer 'suffers record levels of depletion due to the cold winter and substances in the atmosphere'

Scientists have warned of increased exposure to cancer-causing ultra-violet rays after recording 'unprecedented' levels of Arctic ozone loss in recent months.

The atmospheric layer which shields life from the sun's rays has suffered record levels of depletion due to the cold winter and ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere, it is claimed.

The World Meteorological Organization revealed today that ozone column loss had reached 40 per cent this spring. A spokesperson for the WMO said: 'Depletion of the ozone... has reached an unprecedented level over the Arctic this spring because of the continuing presence of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere and a very cold winter in the stratosphere. [ DAILYMAIL ]

'If the ozone depleted area moves away from the pole and towards lower latitudes one can expect increased ultraviolet (UV) radiation as compared to the normal for the season.

'Some crops and forms of marine life can also suffer adverse effects.'

The highest ozone loss previously recorded over the Arctic, about 30 per cent, occurred in several seasons over the past 15 years or so, according to the WMO.

Experts attributed the record findings to a cold winter and more ozone-harming substances in the atmosphere

But any increase in UV radiation over lower latitudes away from the Arctic - which could affect parts of Canada, Nordic countries, Russia and Alaska in the United States - would not be of the same intensity as one suffers in the tropics.

UV-B rays have been linked to skin cancer, cataracts and damage to the human immune system.

Members of the public were urged by the WMO to check their national UV forecasts after the warning.

Unlike over Antarctica, large ozone loss is not an annually recurring phenomenon in the Arctic stratosphere, where meteorological conditions vary much more each year.

Scientists warned that other parts of the world could face increased UV ray exposure if the lower ozone areas move away from the Arctic

The record ozone loss over the Arctic comes despite the 'very successful' Montreal Protocol aimed at cutting production and consumption of ozone-destroying chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons.

The substances were once present in refrigerators, spray cans and fire extinguishers, but have been phased out.

The WMO said that due to the long lifetimes of these compounds in the atmosphere, it will take several decades before their concentrations return to pre-1980 levels, the target laid down in the 1987 pact.