Asbestos cowboys' deadly waste dump in Blackpool street

The illegal load was left at the rear of Idlewood Place, off Sevenoaks Drive in Anchorsholme last week. Council staff took less than 24-hours to clear away the highly dangerous waste, which had been sealed in blue bags. And now calls have gone out for the rogue traders responsible to be brought to book. Coun Tony Williams, who represents Anchorsholme, reported the fly-tip to Blackpool Council. And he is desperate to see justice served on people willing to leave potentially hazardous waste just yards from family homes and gardens. He said: “I just can’t believe somebody would do this. “This was 600kg of asbestos. When people are removing this stuff they need specialist clothing. “It’s just been left out in the street. “Not only is this illegal it’s also extremely dangerous especially to young children who might be playing in the area. “The cowboys who did this need to be caught. “They need to be caught and properly punished. “It is criminal. “They need to be arrested and appear in court.” For mum Wendy Ainton, it’s just one of a string of fly-tipping incidents close to her home. She said the discovery of asbestos had come as a shock. “I came from work and it was just there in the alleyway,” she said. “You could see straight away what it was. “I was out there for hours making sure nobody went near. “I had to tell the lads on their bikes it was dangerous and to stay away. “I was worries about cats tearing the bags open. “It’s unbelievable somebody would do this.” Wendy believes the bags were dumped by somebody who had been paid to dismantle a building. And she fears the area is becoming a fly-tipping hot spot. “I’ve had pretty much a whole kitchen dumped in my garden,” she said. “There was a dishwasher, a washing machine, a tumble dryer, a fridge freezer, two bikes and a chair. “Then on Thursday I came back and there was a fridge and a pile of bin bags. “I’ve had to pay for that to be removed. “Now I’m paying for CCTV to be fitted.” Blackpool Council confirmed it had been called out to reports of fly-tipped asbestos last week. The waste, made of of corrugated asbestos sheets, was packed into blue bags. A pile of 11 were left in the street, on the other side of a fence from a childrens’ trampoline. A twelfth was propped up against a nearby garage. Next to it a 13th red bag, marked ‘asbestos’ was left. There is no suggestion any of the asbestos could have leaked from the bags and Blackpool Council made clear the material would only have posed a danger to health if broken. Asbestos has been blamed for a number of lung diseases including several forms of cancer. Its use in the building trade has been banned since 2000. Blackpool Council today condemned those behind the illegal dumping. Coun Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Fly tipping is absolutely unacceptable, illegal and a blight on local communities. “There is no valid excuse for carrying it out and if we find evidence of any fly tipping then we will seek to prosecute the people responsible, either the waste removal company or the people whose information is found in the dumped rubbish. “Fly tipping asbestos shows a complete disregard to local communities and could be very dangerous. “We safely cleared this incident up within 24 hours but that costs time and money that could be used keeping the streets clean and emptying the bins. “We need the community to stay vigilant to help us stop fly tipping. “People should only have their waste removed by legitimate registered waste carriers and offers to remove rubbish that seem too cheap to be true probably are. “At the same time, I’d ask all residents to keep their eyes open for evidence of suspicious activity that may be related to fly tipping, and report it to us online at www.blackpool.gov.uk/flytipping.”