Asbestos risk in knocking flats

THE removal of 120 tonnes of asbestos from the Ballymun flats by way of demolishing the tower blocks is unsafe and unacceptable, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) said yesterday.

It said the method proposed by the State company Ballymun Regeneration Ltd (BRL) was “legally unacceptable” and offered less protection than international standards.

BRL is proposing to carry out a pilot demolition project on an enclosed tower without removing the asbestos. “Our judgment is that what it is proposing is not safe,” said a HSA spokesman.