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Emissions of SO2 and NO2 from fossil fuel power stations can have serious environmental consequences via conversion to sulphuric and nitric acids and subsequent deposition. Consequently, there is considerable interest in techniques capable of monitoring these emissions, in order to ensure compliance with environmental legislation. Here we present a novel approach to measuring power station SO2 and NO2 emissions by traversing underneath the plume by car or on-foot or scanning the power station''s plume from a fixed position with a compact and lightweight UV spectrometer. This work was performed at a power station in eastern England during January, February and June 2003, resulting in a SO2 flux of 5.2 kg s−1, which is in close correspondence with the in-stack measured value of 5.3 kg s−1. This technique is considerably simpler and cheaper than other remote sensing approaches to monitoring these emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]