Asbestos fears halt demolition of York pool
Work to demolish a condemned swimming pool in York has been stopped after asbestos was discovered on the site.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officers ordered the halt on work on the old Edmund Wilson Pool on Thanet Road after visiting the site on Tuesday.
The building is being demolished to make way for a new Lidl supermarket, but experts determined that more precautionary surveys were required before work could continue.
An HSE spokesman said: "It was agreed by all parties involved that a voluntary cessation of work should take place while further surveys are made of the building prior to the planned demolition."
The visit had been made after local councillor, Howard Perry, contacted the authority with concerns that the correct containment procedures were not in place for asbestos removal. He said he, like many other residents, was keen for work to be completed as soon as possible, but that people's health was paramount.
“I’m not pleased to see work stopped, but if there’s a danger there to local residents, most of whom are in their 70s and 80s, then that is a risk,” he said.
Lidl and the council will now work together to ensure the correct asbestos demolition procedures are in place.
