A WORRIED councillor says a city estate is being plagued by an 'epidemic of fly-tipping' including suspected 'hazardous asbestos' left near where children play.
Cllr Jill Desayrah has shared photos of fly-tipping across Warndon including a pile of what she is concerned may be asbestos left out in the open in Nailsworth Close.
The Labour councillor has already reported the suspected asbestos to Worcestershire Regulatory Services but says nothing has been done, raising it again as a matter of urgency.
"I'm told children play around it and I'm extremely concerned. Please can this be addressed with urgency?" she wrote this month.
As early as May 1 she wrote to regulatory services and said: "The asbestos very likely came from a garage roof but it is considerably broken up now.
"I believe it is on private land, which is why the city council team hasn’t removed it, but I believe it is a risk to the public. "
In the message, she stresses she's 'not an expert in any way' but adds: "I remain very concerned about the possible environmental health risks. "
We have previously reported how Kat Harris, who lives in Crickley Drive, Warndon, claimed Platform Housing is "endangering lives" after discovering her home was filled with asbestos.
However, Mark Bell, head of building safety at Platform Housing Group, said: "Asbestos is not dangerous if it's in good condition and left alone."
If asbestos fibres are disturbed and inhaled by a person, it can cause an increased risk of various illnesses, including a type of lung cancer.
Other images shared by the councillor Warndon and Elbury Park show large bulky items of furniture which have been dumped, including sofas.
If not cleared up swiftly, Cllr Desayrah says the rubbish problem quickly escalates with more mess added to the pile. Cranham Drive, in particular, has seen recurring problems with rubbish.
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Cllr Desayrah, re-elected to Worcester City Council in May, has emphasised the importance of the free bulky waste collection which is available to people in Warndon on benefits but also closer working between Worcester City Council and Platform Housing to address fly-tipping.
She added: "This latest pile of rubbish on Cranham Drive has grown considerably whilst waiting to be collected. It clearly illustrates of the old “broken window” issue.
"All fly tipping should be collected swiftly to deter replication. Other measures are needed to tackle it at source.
"Not enough people know about or use our free bulky waste collection offer, for example. But allowing the problem to multiply is even more damaging to the local environment and the lives of everyone living around it. I want to try once more to work across silos, to agree a better, more cost effective approach for Worcester.”
We have approached Worcester City Council and Worcestershire Regulatory Services for a comment.
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