1,000 public and private buildings in BCP contain asbestos

In total, at least 1,001 public and private buildings in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole contain the hazardous substance – including youth centres and shops.

In April 2022, MPs recommended a 40-year deadline be set for the removal of asbestos from the estimated 300,000 public and commercial buildings that still contain it. However, the report from the Work and Pensions Committee was rejected by government.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibre that was widely used in construction until the late 1990s before its dangers were known. Its use is now banned in the UK.

Exposure to the substance can cause several serious diseases, including lung cancer.

Bournemouth Town Hall (Image: Echo)

Law firm Irwin Mitchell contacted 20 local authorities in the UK to gain an insight into the true picture of asbestos in buildings.

Of the councils which responded, BCP Council reported the most buildings containing asbestos with 1,001, with only three undergoing removal in the past five years.

The council was, however, also among the top ten local authorities who had carried out the most asbestos surveys, with 62 in the last five years.

Also, BCP Council was the only authority to respond with all buildings (public and private) in the region. The other authorities we were unable to separate the two.

Buckinghamshire had the second most buildings containing asbestos with 712.

Buildings in the BCP area containing asbestos are as follows:

• Adult Social Care: 51
• Agricultural: 64
• Cafes and kiosks: 36
• Stores compounds and messrooms: 102
• Leisure facilities and outdoor education: 90
• Shelters: 4
• Residential: 111
• Office and administration: 86
• Monuments statues museums galley theatre and mausoleums: 23
• Libraries: 17
• Pumping stations water drainage and sewage buildings: 11
• Waste and recycling centre: 4
• Early Years / Youth/community centres: 39
• Investment retail and commercial: 42
• Infrastructure: 46
• Sub stations: 3
• Crematorium: 20
• Community / Adult Advice / Information Centre: 21
• Community Learning & commissioning: 6
• Communications: 4
• Depots: 8
• Garages: 4
• Harbour and Marine buildings: 3
• Beach hut blocks: 47
• Boat houses: 6
• Car parks: 11
• Lodges: 10
• Miscellaneous: 132

A BCP Council spokesperson said: “Asbestos surveys have been undertaken on all of our corporate buildings. Inspections are then carried out of the material to monitor its condition and if necessary decisions made on whether its removed.”

Adrian Budgen, a specialist asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Most people associate asbestos with historical exposure in factories or construction work, but these latest figures highlight the extensive risk still posed by the deadly substance across the UK in everyday buildings used by the public.

“We come across families and individuals affected by asbestos most often after coming into contact with it in their workplace, and to have it confirmed that it’s not yet been eradicated from a large number of public buildings is incredibly concerning.

“More needs to be done to help protect people and we call on the government to accelerate the removal process and ensure asbestos is extracted from all public buildings within the given timeframe – or preferably sooner.”