Piles of broken asbestos were carelessly dumped in a Batford church ground over the bank holiday weekend, the Herts Advertiser has reported.
The dangerous rubbish was left in a concealed area behind All Saints Church car park, Station Road, on Saturday evening. As it is on private land, the church will have to foot the clearance bill.
It has to be removed quickly because church activities recommence in the new school term next week – pre-school, two dance schools, three baby and toddler groups, and Rainbow, Brownie and Guide groups.
Reverend Linda Williams described the fly-tippers as “uncaring” and “irresponsible”, saying;
“I am very cross because we are just scraping together money, using the last of a legacy from ten years ago and a grant from the Harpenden Trust, and we have been really careful.
This will have to come out of the collection plate from a largely elderly community.”
The 50-year-old church facilities have been revamped this summer, including a new kitchen. The installation of doors without drafts would have been next, but now the remaining money will have to be used for removing the asbestos.
She believes the people responsible are locals who were familiar with the area.
“It’s very sad but I am actually quite cross, because it’s local people doing this to local people and Batford has been has been practically robbed of all its community spaces already.”
My real worry is we are trying very hard with money, and when we have children coming back that car park will be used all day every day – we are just trying to keep everybody off there.”
Harpenden Town Council has suggested a contractor to move the treacherous waste, and Linda is waiting for a quote. She said:
“All these people, especially children’s and babies’ health and safety, is at risk through these idiots who were too lazy and tight-fisted and uncaring of the danger they put us all in to dispose of this asbestos properly.”
Because it is so carcinogenic, she is even concerned about the criminals, adding:
“I just hope they are okay because it’s so dangerous, did they realise it is asbestos?”
Linda said that if she had the chance, she would ask the fly-tippers not to dump rubbish on their ground, saying:
“There are facilities were you could get rid of this, don’t do this here.