Neighbour won’t remove asbestos

kitkat9933

kitkat9933

kitkat9933

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Mother in law’s next door neighbour has a garage that is built using asbestos based materials for the roof and other areas. They don’t use the garage and it’s no way near their main house or where they go near.

However, it’s right next to my mother in laws side door and side passageway which is how she gets into her back garden.

It’s starting to come apart and clearly now dangerous. She mentioned to next door and they are refusing to do anything about it. They don’t have a penny to rub together as they inherited it from a grandparent who hasn’t done much work to it in decades.

Mother in law said she would put towards it but they aren’t interested. She can’t afford to pay for the full works and feels it’s not fair to do so.

Next door have young kids, mother in law has her cats that go past as well as us with a pregnant wife and young kids who might want to go into the garden.

Is there any options to make them do it or get them council support etc?
 
When you say its coming apart, in what way? Asbestos is only dangerous from the dust particles really. Asbestos is only dangerous if its broken, cut, sawn etc. into small enough pieces so the fibers are released

If its just cracked or lose it shouldn't pose a threat to health etc. if its totally falling apart then it needs sorting though the type of asbestos is important as some pose far higher risks.
 
If you're at all concerned report it to the local council? As Scarps as said, it's only dangerous if disturbed and fibres are released into the environment and even then in an enclosed area as well. If it's outside and not actively being disturbed then sometimes it's just best to leave it alone.
 
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scarps said:
When you say its coming apart, in what way? Asbestos is only dangerous from the dust particles really. Asbestos is only dangerous if its broken, cut, sawn etc. into small enough pieces so the fibers are released

If its just cracked or lose it shouldn't pose a threat to health etc. if its totally falling apart then it needs sorting though the type of asbestos is important as some pose far higher risks.
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The roof tiles are cracked and all over the roof and the layers are damaged on the tile. The neighbours also made it worse when they power washed it and their main house roof clean to remove the moss a few weeks ago.
 
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rumple9 said:
If you can prove it's coming onto your land you can sue. If it's not coming onto your land you have nothing to worry about
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The roof is not directly on her land but the edge is about 5 inches from your head in the passageway and so close to being able to inhale any fibres etc
 
kitkat9933 said:
The roof tiles are cracked and all over the roof and the layers are damaged on the tile. The neighbours also made it worse when they power washed it and their main house roof clean to remote the move a few weeks ago.
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If its in big chunks it's not a major problem. The powerwashing wasn't smart though.
 
kitkat9933 said:
The roof tiles are cracked and all over the roof and the layers are damaged on the tile. The neighbours also made it worse when they power washed it and their main house roof clean to remote the move a few weeks ago.
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Well that probably needs sorting then if they are pressure washing it, especially with it being damaged. Who pressure washed it as you need to use the right attachments. Just blasting it with a high pressure nozzle is a no no
 
Council houses?
Owned houses?

If they ain't happy to pay a penny then just say you'll cover the cost to make it safe

Grabt 20l of PVA glue and coat with that probs last a fair while too.
 
In Devon councils will collect asbestos if it is correct wrapped or bagged for free I appreciate you don't live in Devon but you may have similar where you live
 
Dis86 said:
The only way you know it's asbestos is if it's tested. No other way.
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EDIT: Interesting the expert/official guidance is that the asbestos and cement fibre panels (as often used for garages and farm buildings at one point) look identical - personally I can tell the difference at a glance! (if you've spent as long playing around the real stuff I did as a kid there is a distinct difference in the edges especially if broken and how the leading edges wear).

Spent a chunk of my childhood playing around a garage, often kicking around a football against it, with the corrugated stuff which was breaking apart :( I'll be surprised if I got away with it :(

It should be removed really if it is - while generally not harmful if intact should there ever be a fire or something involving it the results could be very bad for nearby residents or emergency services dealing with it.
 
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Rroff said:
EDIT: Interesting the expert/official guidance is that the asbestos and cement fibre panels (as often used for garages and farm buildings at one point) look identical - personally I can tell the difference at a glance! (if you've spent as long playing around the real stuff I did as a kid there is a distinct difference in the edges especially if broken and how the leading edges wear).

Spent a chunk of my childhood playing around a garage, often kicking around a football against it, with the corrugated stuff which was breaking apart :( I'll be surprised if I got away with it :(

It should be removed really if it is - while generally not harmful if intact should there ever be a fire or something involving it the results could be very bad for nearby residents or emergency services dealing with it.
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If you were outside in a well ventilates space doing nothing more than kicking a football against it then the chances of it doing you any harm are pretty small, as lots of people have said the danger is when it get's ground into powder and inhaled and it much more pronounced in industrial setting with high dosages and concentrations.

Back to the OP there is likely little that can be done unless it presents a significant public health hazard which the council should be able to advise on.
 
a1ex2001 said:
If you were outside in a well ventilates space doing nothing more than kicking a football against it then the chances of it doing you any harm are pretty small, as lots of people have said the danger is when it get's ground into powder and inhaled and it much more pronounced in industrial setting with high dosages and concentrations.

Back to the OP there is likely little that can be done unless it presents a significant public health hazard which the council should be able to advise on.
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It was a DIY'd garage with corrugated sheets of it on the walls and originally roof, though the roof went long ago. By the time I was playing in it was in a bad state and coming apart. (Definitely asbestos as it was built by family).
 
rumple9 said:
If you can prove it's coming onto your land you can sue. If it's not coming onto your land you have nothing to worry about
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What good is suing someone who doesn't have two pennies to rub together.

I'd report it to the council, they must have an environmental health department or something. They might have to inspect it to decide whether to take enforcement action.
 
Semple said:
What good is suing someone who doesn't have two pennies to rub together.

I'd report it to the council, they must have an environmental health department or something. They might have to inspect it to decide whether to take enforcement action.
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1) He owns a house - An asset that can be enforced against
2) He probably has house insurance which most probably covers liability to third parties
 
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