Potentially toxic asbestos is dumped on private land

It was not the first time Carol Falla has been the victim of fly-tipping on her land in Route de Portinfer, Vale.

Last time it was a one-ton bag of decorating materials, but this time is far more serious, and costly.

‘Someone – or several people – have been very selfish and dishonest and have fly-tipped quite a large quantity of asbestos and plastic containers with small pieces of asbestos, metal and paint brushes, onto a piece of land I own,’ she said.

The land is behind a private house and is hidden from the road.

Although neighbours saw vehicles, registration numbers are still unknown.

‘I’m waiting on some CCTV footage, too,’ Mrs Falla said on Facebook as she hoped to draw attention to the issue.

Disposing of that amount of asbestos properly would cost around £615, and Mrs Falla is determined to find who dumped it there so as not to be lumbered with footing the bill.

‘It’s about time fly-tippers were given appropriate fines and even a custodial sentence when caught,’ she said.

Paul Knight, managing director of ASR Ltd, a local asbestos removal firm, offered to wrap the material safely to reduce the risk while it was sitting there.

While this was bonded asbestos, it is not clear how old the material is so fine asbestos fibres could potentially become airborne when it is disturbed. That is when serious health risks arise.

‘I’ve been called out to help with fly-tipped asbestos before but I have never, ever seen so much in one go,’ Mr Knight said.

‘No asbestos is safe and I don’t want Carol to be responsible for getting rid of it. So we will wrap it safely into a skip until the investigation presents whoever it was who dumped it here.’

An air test will also be carried out after the wrapping of the material to ensure the environment is safe.

‘This was likely brought here in the back of a van so it’s absolutely possible that fibres have got loose somewhere along the journey,’ he added.

‘Disposing of it properly might be expensive, but those are the rules, and they’re there because this is an incredibly dangerous substance.’

Mrs Falla was grateful for ASR’s help and said it was ‘ridiculous’ that fly-tipping was still such an issue in the island.

‘Sometimes even when you walk on the cliffs you can see fridges or beds that have just been thrown and dumped there,’ she said.

It’s ruining the aesthetic of our beautiful island, and in cases like this, it’s not just expensive to get rid of, it’s dangerous as well.’