Westfield fined £4,700 for asbestos breach

Westfield Asbestos (UK), of Latimer Street, Romsey, had pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court to the disposal breach.

The prosecution, brought by the Environment Agency, came after vigilant staff from SITA, a waste management company, spotted the toxic material in a skip.

The court heard how they had to isolate the load before damping down the surrounding area to reduce any airborne risk.

The incident took place at a waste transfer station at Fareham, which is run by waste management company SITA.

The court was told that the firm sent a skip to the waste transfer station, describing the load as "mixed municipal waste".

SITA staff examined it, as they are required to do under the waste management licence, and discovered asbestos.

They swung emergency procedures into action, and informed the Environment Agency and Westfield. Representatives from Westfield carried out air monitoring which revealed the area was not contaminated with asbestos.

However, an Environment Agency officer took samples of the waste, which showed contamination.

Westfield told the court it did not know how the waste had been put in the skip.

They asked the court to take into account the early guilty plea, the fact that staff had been sent to clear the waste, that it had fully co-operated with the investigation and had taken further measures to prevent such an incident from occurring again. After the case, Environment Agency officer Mike O'Neill said: "This sends a clear message to all those who dispose of asbestos and other hazardous waste.

"It must be sent to waste disposal facilities that are licensed to handle and dispose of it in a safe manner.

"It is down to the vigilance of SITA staff at Fareham and their emergency procedures that stopped this incident being far more serious."

Fire-retardant asbestos is dangerous because its inhaled fibres remain and accumulate in the lungs over many years, causing fatal diseases.