A series of materials featuring copper oxide and/or vanadium oxide supported on titanium oxide, aluminium oxide or a composite alumina-titania carrier were tested for suitability as sorbents/catalysts for the simultaneous removal of SO2 and NO(x) from flue gases. Sulphur dioxide sorption at 300-degrees-C was associated with the formation of copper sulphate and some aluminium sulphate, the latter via a bridging Cu-SO4-Al surface species. Only part of the sorption capacity could be regenerated by reduction in hydrogen at 450-degrees-C. Selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide by ammonia over CuO/TiO2, CuO/Al2O3-TiO2 and CuO/Al2O3 was lessened following exposure of the catalysts to SO2 and this feature was assigned to competition for ammonia between nitric oxide and surface sulphate species, the latter involving formation of (NH4)2SO4. Vanadia supported on a composite support featuring 20 wt.-% alumina, balance titania, was as active as V/TiO2 for nitric oxide reduction by ammonia and the Al2O3 component rendered the catalyst resistant to SO2 poisoning because sulphate formed on vanadia could be transferred to Al2O3 where it did not interfere with the activity. Catalysts with copper and vanadium oxides supported on alumina-titania were not resistant to SO2 poisoning during selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide because the copper component attracted too much SO2 onto the support, thus exceeding the protective capacity of the alumina component.