Lethal asbestos fly-tipped in centre of village

Fly-tippers abandoned the substantial pile of waste in George Hill, Robertsbridge, overnight on September 23/24.

The asbestos had been left at the edge of the road, blocking access to a field.

The dangerous material had been dumped just down the road from Salehurst Primary School.

When asbestos fibres are inhaled, they can cause serious, and even fatal, diseases.

Because it is classed as hazardous waste, asbestos must be disposed of at a licensed waste disposal site and not in normal household waste.

Police were alerted to the fly-tipping in Robertsbridge just after 9am on September 24 by a concerned member of the public.

The police in turn contacted Rother District Council, which confirmed the material was asbestos.

Specialists from the council’s Environmental Health team removed the waste from the scene.

Both Sussex Police and Rother District Council have launched investigations in a bid to find out who was responsible for the fly-tipping.

Anyone caught fly-tipping hazardous material, including asbestos, could face up to five years in prison and unlimited fines.

Just 24 hours later, police received another report of serious fly-tipping in the rural Rother area.

A large amount of household waste was discovered dumped in a lane in Hooe.

Beds, chairs, cabinets and wardrobes were amongst the items found fly-tipped in the lane off the A259, close to the Lamb pub.

A member of the public reported the incident to police at 7am on September 25.

Police inspected the rubbish, but no hazardous material was found.

The rubbish was removed and Wealden District Council is investigating.

As the fly-tipped rubbish contained no hazardous material, Sussex Police has not launched a criminal investigation.

Police have said they are not linking the fly-tipping to the incident in Robertsbridge.

Anyone who may have information about who dumped the asbestos in Robertsbridge is asked to call Sussex Police on the non-emergency number 101, quoting serial number 0270 of September 24.