Hertfordshire Council faces bill of up to £200,000 after asbestos fly-tipping
Around 200 tonnes was dumped in abandoned trailers
Hertfordshire County Council says it is facing a bill of up to £200,000 after around 200 tonnes of suspected asbestos waste was dumped in four abandoned trailers across the county.
The trailers were found at various locations on the A10 and A120, with two so heavily loaded that their rear axles had collapsed.
Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, said the council had been forced to carry out a complex operation to remove the hazardous material.
“Two of those lorries actually were unmovable. Basically, their rear axles had collapsed because of the weight of the asbestos in them.”
The trailers had to be unloaded during two nights, with specialist operatives wearing protective equipment to remove the waste in a controlled environment.
“We had to unload them at night and take all the hazardous waste out with hazmat kits for the operatives and put them on other trailers and take them off to a disposal facility.”
The waste has now been removed and taken to an appropriate disposal facility.
The council estimates the clean-up and disposal could cost between £35,000 and £50,000 per trailer, although the final cost is not yet known.
Cllr Giles-Medhurst said the financial impact goes beyond the cost of removing the waste, with police, the Environment Agency and specialist contractors also involved.
“It’s not just the physical cost that the county councils paid out, the amount of time and effort that’s gone into it.”
‘I hope the maximum penalties are enforced’
Cllr Giles-Medhurst warned that the incident could have had more serious consequences if someone had broken into one of the trailers.
“Potentially it could have been far worse. Someone could have wondered what was in that, broken into it and actually inhaled asbestos and may therefore have been seriously injured as a result of that.”
He said he hoped those responsible would be identified and face the appropriate penalties.
“I’m outraged that unfortunately people think this is the right thing to do.”
Adding: “I hope that if they are caught, then the maximum penalties are enforced.”