One housing estate in South London has been so affected by asbestos that a resident revealed a plumber told him to be careful coming into contact with his ceiling lest he disturbs the asbestos materials.
The Cambridge Road Estate has been slated for remediation for some time due to the presence of unsafe asbestos on the estate, with one local councillor noting that given the age of the buildings, it’s possible that the asbestos at the site is widespread.
Private contractors were engaged in September of 2020 to remove asbestos-containing panels within a duct in the Gravely building on the estate. The company noted that there was a damaged section of asbestos-containing panels within the duct, and the removal of it could have contaminated the building further and even other properties. The panels were sealed for safety and passed an air test.
However, residents believe that the problem is much greater than a single duct on the estate, with several residents voicing their concerns to local media over asbestos allegedly lining the walls and ceilings of buildings on the estate.
City Hall has confirmed that they are investigating residents’ concerns about the presence of asbestos.
A local Council spokesperson said: “If any council housing resident is concerned about materials containing asbestos, they should seek advice from the Kingston Council Compliance Team which manages the asbestos register. Since September 2020, no further damaged Asbestos panels have been identified at the Cambridge Road Estate.
“Any presence of asbestos will be managed as per HSE guidelines and therefore will be factored into the regeneration programme of works. All working practices will be risk assessed and carried out by competent, accredited contractors. It is not currently envisaged the programme will be delayed due to the presence of asbestos in the Gravely tower block.”