Asbestos

What is asbestos?

Asbestos is a mineral used in building materials in the UK until the late 1990s. It was added to other products to provide fireproofing and noise reduction. If your home was built before the year 2000, it may contain asbestos.

Asbestos is safe if sealed and undisturbed. It is only dangerous if damaged, as it can release fibres. These fibres can cause serious illness if large amounts are breathed in on a regular basis.

What to do if you think you’ve disturbed asbestos in your home

If you think you’ve damaged something containing asbestos, let us know as soon as possible. Don’t try to remove it yourself.

You shouldn’t sand, drill, or disturb products containing asbestos in any way.

Let us know before you start carrying out any DIY in your house, even if you don’t think you will disturb any asbestos.

What we do to help keep you safe

We carry out asbestos surveys of your home when we upgrade empty homes or carry out improvements.

We record where we find asbestos on a register. This helps us keep track of it, and warn contractors before they carry out work.

We will arrange the removal of any damaged or fragile material, if needed. Only a trained contractor can remove asbestos products.

Further information

To find out more about asbestos, download our leaflets:

Customer leaflet

Homeowner leaflet

Other resources

Gov.uk

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Asbestos: elimination of asbestos-related diseases