Six tonnes of asbestos illegally dumped

Published on 5 Aug 2007

The Environment Agency has sealed of an area of Thornton, Lancashire after six tonnes of asbestos was found illegally dumped on a privately owned industrial estate.

The asbestos has been secured and the site owners are arranging to have it correctly disposed of. Meanwhile a full investigation is underway and the Environment Agency is confident they will be able to identify the culprits.

A spokesman for the Agency said:

"Samples are being taken from the asbestos at the site, and will be analysed at our laboratory in Nottinghamshire.
"We have quite sophisticated DNA tests which can help us and the police trace who has dumped it."

Because of the dangerous nature of the material, responsible for lethal diseases such as mesothelioma, disposal of asbestos is tightly controlled and only a limited number of companies are licensed by the Environment Agency to perform the activity.

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