Forty bags of hazardous material cleared after waste left dumped on a verge in Bickleigh.

At the end of March the Council’s Streetscene team was notified of a fly tip in a lane near Bickleigh. On investigation staff identified the fly-tipped waste as asbestos and further examination by a specialist identified the material as asbestos insulation board (AIB) which is especially hazardous.

On this occasion the waste had been tipped on the public highway and was easily accessible to members of the public, so its removal was considered urgent. The Health and Safety Executive issued permission for the removal of the waste and colleagues at Devon County Council arranged an emergency road closure to facilitate the works, which required the use of a hazard containment unit, equipped to monitor the air quality, as the material was removed.

In total 40 bags of hazardous material were removed for safe disposal, including part of the verge that the material was tipped on.

Due to its dangerous nature the removal of asbestos insulating board must be carried out by a licensed asbestos contractor, paid for by you the tax payer. When AIB is removed it can release dangerous asbestos fibre into the surrounding atmosphere, for that reason the removal is carried out under controlled and contained conditions.

Fly-tipping of any material is a serious criminal offence, but when it comes to asbestos the environmental and financial impacts are great.

Between 2019/20, just under one million incidents of fly-tipping were reported in England at a cost to the tax payer of £10.9 million.

If you witness someone fly-tipping, or have information regarding this fly-tip, we would like to hear from you. To report a fly-tip please fill out our Report Fly-tipping form or call Customer Services on 01884 255255.