Help us to find asbestos fly tipping culprits

Officials from Stratford-on-Avon District Council are asking for help to track down the culprits of some illegal fly-tipping.

The fly tipping consists of a substantial number of sacks of asbestos. The illegal dumping took place at Pigtrot Lane, Danzey Green near Tanworth-in-Arden sometime between 1 December 2010 and 17 December 2010.  It has now been removed.

Asbestos is a hazardous material which is illegal to dispose of other than to a licensed site.

The contractor or rogue trader who carried out the removal work had correctly bagged the asbestos in red plastic sacks so the presumption is that the customers had been charged for correct disposal.  By fly tipping the sacks they will have made a substantial amount of money due to the high cost of disposal of asbestos and compliance with the regulations.

If any members of the public have seen anything suspicious in the vicinity of Pigtrot Lane, Danzey Green or who have had asbestos work carried out recently, please contact Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Street Scene team on 01789 260616.  Any information received will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence.

• Asbestos removal work, with limited exceptions, must be undertaken by a licensed contractor in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, and in all cases disposed of in accordance with the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005.
• Fly-tipping is illegal. UK waste comes under controls that impose a duty to ensure that waste is disposed of properly.
• Fly-tipping fines are up to £20,000 and/or 6 months' imprisonment. Fines are unlimited if the case goes to the Crown Court or up to 2 years' imprisonment, and up to 5 years if hazardous waste is dumped.
• Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been used in a range of building materials in Great Britain from the 1950s through to the mid 1980s such as eaves gutters and rainwater fall pipes, garage and shed roofs, linings for walls, ceilings and doors, insulation panels in some storage heaters, bath panels, central heating flues, loose asbestos packing between floors and in partition walls, floor tiles.
• Most people are exposed to low amounts of asbestos present in the atmosphere with no ill effects. Asbestos fibres and dust are potentially very dangerous if inhaled in higher concentrations over a period of time, when they can cause serious lung diseases including cancer. The symptoms of these diseases often do not appear for between 20 -30 years after exposure to asbestos.