A POPULAR English beach has been closed again – after asbestos was found for the second time.
The area remains closed “until further notice” while investigations are being carried out.
Mount Batten beach, in Plymouth, has been closed again after “high levels of asbestos fibres” were discovered – for the second time.
According to Plymouth City Council, asbestos fibres were found in 14 of the 16 sand samples taken from the beach, at levels deemed ‘hazardous waste’.
The site will now remain closed until further tests have been carried out.
Steve Maddern, Plymouth’s director of public health, said the “latest sand samples are concerning and we must prioritise the safety of the public” and urged beach-goers to stay away from fenced off areas.
Mount Batten beach had been fenced off just three months earlier, in April, after “a small amount of low grade, low-risk asbestos” was discovered.
A Plymouth City Council spokesman told ITV News: “As most people will be aware, we were first forced to close it in the summer after a large amount of asbestos was found on the sand.
“After the bad weather at the weekend, a check today has shown more asbestos on the beach. It will now be closed for at least two weeks while we get teams in to clear it.”
Asbestos was first found at the site in 2019, in one of the 16 samples taken at the time.
However, the council said the volume of asbestos material had not “reduced” in the time since.
Asbestos is a naturally-occurring microscopic fibre which was widely used in building materials.
If inhaled, the fibres can be potentially carcinogenic and “highly toxic”.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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