HAZARDOUS asbestos has been dumped in the Malvern Hills.

An estimated 20 corrugated roofing sheets were discovered by a volunteer warden at Earnslaw car park.

A spokeswoman for the

Malvern Hills Trust

which manage the site said: "We're disappointed because we've been landed with a £1000 removal bill as we've needed to get a specialist company in to deal with the material.

A section of the car park was cordoned off until the removal was complete at around noon on Friday May 3.

There is no on-going risk to the public.

The material would have been dumped sometime during the early hours between Wednesday and Thursday.

Paul Esrich manager of the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding natural beauty partnership said: "We will always condemn fly-tipping in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

"The current case is particularly worrying since it has the potential to impact on human health as well as the natural beauty of the area."

Asbestos was widely used in the construction industry until the 1970s.

Long term exposure can lead to respiratory failure and the fibres can collect in the lungs, causing a rare form of cancer known as mesothelioma.

The British Government's

Health and Safety Executive

(HSE) has rigorous controls on the handling of the substance and it needs to be disposed of and they say at least 4,000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung disease due to previous industrial exposure.

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