Clean-up underway after hazardous industrial waste containing asbestos dumped on Derbyshire lane

The piles of rubbish were fly-tipped on Bullock Lane, in Riddings, at around 5pm on Sunday, September 5.

A witness, who described most of the waste as white asbestos, notified Derbyshire County Council (DCC) who have since closed the road.

Amber Valley Borough Council (AVBC) have also been alerted as they are the authority responsible for fly-tipping and street cleansing in the area.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “It was reported to us on Sunday, September 5 so we attended and thought that in the interest of public safety it was wise to close the road until ABVC would get chance to deal with it.

"We reported it to them on Monday morning and they did have concerns that drivers were ignoring the closure which would make the clean-up operation both difficult and potentially unsafe. We have therefore worked with them by putting an attended closure in place this morning to make the site secure.

"This has enabled them to carry out the work (which is currently ongoing) and as soon as they are finished and we are satisfied it is safe to do so we will open the road up again.”

The man who saw the rubbish being dumped also claimed the closure signs have been ‘ignored’ by drivers and says this has meant the asbestos is ‘being gradually ground finer and finer’, making it become airborne and more likely to be ingested.

An Amber Valley Borough Council spokesperson said: “There was waste deposited on the highway that had a high probability of containing white asbestos cement. DCC had to swiftly close part of the road to prevent vehicles driving through it and spreading it more widely.

“The Borough Council was made aware during Monday and arranged for a specialist contractor to visit the site and make arrangements for the waste to be removed and properly disposed of.

“We take fly tipping extremely seriously, and we remind residents that they are responsible for disposing of their waste lawfully, and ensure they use a registered waste carrier.”

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