Lambeth Council admits exposing employee to asbestos

A former Lambeth Council employee has been diagnosed with mesothelioma decades after being exposed to asbestos while working in council-owned housing.

The 70-year-old man was employed by Lambeth Council between 1977 and 1986, during which time he carried out building services work across a number of residential properties. He initially worked as a fitter’s mate, supporting the installation and repair of heating and ventilation systems.

As part of his day-to-day duties, he regularly encountered asbestos-containing materials. This included removing insulation from water tanks and pipework, as well as replacing worn gaskets made from asbestos. He later recalled that these materials often broke down easily during removal, producing significant amounts of dust.

Much of his work was undertaken in service ducts beneath the Stockwell Garden Estate. These narrow, enclosed spaces ran underneath the flats and housed pipework coated with asbestos insulation. He worked in these conditions frequently and for extended periods.

His exposure continued into the 1980s, when his role involved handling asbestos insulation boards, flue pipes and asbestos rope seals — materials that were widely used in construction at the time.

In 2023, while working as a school caretaker, he began to suffer from ongoing shortness of breath. Medical investigations followed, and in 2024 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer most commonly caused by asbestos exposure.

Lambeth Council have admitted liability for the asbestos exposure, and paid a significant sum in compensation.