COUNCIL ISSUES A LETTER TO RESIDENTS AS THE LITTLE HULTON ASBESTOS CLEAN UP CONTINUES.

Salford council has issued a letter to homes affected by the recent fire at the old Lucozade factory in Little Hulton, telling them not to be alarmed if they see clean up crews in Haz-Mat (Hazardous Materials) suits.

However some residents are still concerned over the cleanup operation and future possible health impacts to their families.

In its letter the council tries to reassure the public that any risk to health is now considered low.

Dear resident,

The fire is over and the company owners, in conjunction with Salford City Council, are moving on to the next steps.

Specialist consultants, Bureau Veritas, have tested the air quality in the area on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16 November. We are pleased to report that no fibres were found in the air and more air quality tests will also be carried out after the demolition.

This confirms that the risk to health is low and there is unlikely to be any significant exposure to asbestos. However, as a precautionary measure it is sensible that any asbestos containing debris is carefully removed.

The company owners are working to appoint specialist demolition contractors to remove the building. We expect this to start later this week. As a precaution we recommend that you keep your windows and doors closed while the demolition takes place and keep pets away from the warehouse site.

The roads and paths were cleaned by Salford City Council after the fire. Lower Wharton primary school is currently being cleaned as a precaution by specialist cleaning contractors (Rhodar) appointed by the owner of the warehouse and the work is likely to continue for the rest of the week. The specialist cleaning contractors will be cleaning the residential properties that the council made contact with on the Thursday afternoon and we currently expect this to commence on Wednesday 21 November.

The contractors will wear full haz-mat suits and masks as they carry out the cleaning. Please do not be concerned about this, this is their routine practice and does not indicate any extra risk.

If you find small particles of ash or debris from the fire on your property or vehicles and they are small enough to wash away you can first dampen them down using water, then gently flush them away to the drain. If there are larger pieces of debris please do not touch them as they could break up.  Contact us for specialist removal using the contact details below. Please do not sweep up or vacuum ash or debris as this could create airborne dust.

Monday to Friday - 8.30am-4.30am: 0161 793 2500.

Out of hours and weekends: 0161 794 8888.

Or visit https://contactus.salford.gov.uk/?formtype=ENV_NUIS and select asbestos in step 2.

We hope this update reassures you that the risk to health is low and that every effort is being made to clear the site, school and small number of properties affected by the fallout from the fire.

If you have any queries, please contact us through the form or phone number above.