Health warning after asbestos dumped near primary school
‘HAZARDOUS’: The fly-tipped asbestos in Flinton Grove
By Simon Bristow
Environmental enforcement officers are appealing for information after asbestos was dumped near a Hull primary school.
The potentially harmful waste was found on Wednesday, July 5, on the drain embankment near the entrance to Woodland Primary School in Flinton Grove, Preston Road, east Hull.
Hull City Council is warning people to stay away from the area until the waste is removed, which it said would be done without cost to local taxpayers.
A council spokesperson said: “Fly-tipping is not only a crime, but where it includes asbestos wastes this extremely irresponsible act can also cause serious harm to health and the environment.
“Asbestos is classed as hazardous waste and strict controls are in place regarding its disposal at appropriate facilities with environmental permits. These strict requirements are in place due to the fact asbestos can release cancer-causing fibres into the air and ground.”
Environmental Enforcement Officers from Streetscene Services at the authority are urging anyone who might have been travelling in the area or that has any information about the asbestos to come forward.
Officers are also asking the public to check their dashcam and CCTV recordings to help find out who was responsible.
Anyone with information can make a report via the Hull City Council website or by calling 01482 300300, quoting reference 449847. Any information provided will be in confidence.
Doug Sharp, the council’s head of street cleansing and waste management, said: “We would like the public to think whether they remember seeing a vehicle in the area where the fly-tipped asbestos was found and to contact us.
“Likewise, if you have recently had amounts of cement-bonded asbestos removed recently, or if you paid someone to dispose of this asbestos for you, please contact us and help us take action against the person who may have illegally dumped the waste.”
Hull residents can dispose of cement-bonded asbestos from their address free of charge at the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Wiltshire Road on production of the council-issued ‘Resident’s Pass’.
Earlier this week, the council urged people to dispose of waste correctly after “two major fires caused by incorrect waste disposal”.
In the first incident on June 17, 100 tonnes of waste caught fire at the FCC Environment site off Cleveland Street, east Hull, in a blaze thought to have been started by smouldering waste setting light to a mattress. It took firefighters four hours to bring the blaze under control.
On May 5, a battery which had been incorrectly disposed of started a fire which engulfed 50 tonnes of scrap material at John Brocklesby’s scrap yard in Lime Street, east Hull, causing extensive damage.