Storm-damaged asbestos roof: what to do right now

In January 2024, a homeowner in Deptford called us at 7am after a storm overnight had lifted and broken the corrugated asbestos cement roof on their detached garage. Three sheets had been displaced — two had fallen into the garden, one had broken on the driveway. The homeowner had already walked across the driveway without knowing the sheet was there.

We attended within three hours. The driveway sheet was in multiple pieces. We wet it down immediately to suppress fibres, collected the fragments, and double-wrapped them. The two garden sheets were intact but displaced — we wet them, carefully lifted them, and wrapped them. We then assessed the remaining roof structure: four sheets were still in place but two were cracked and at risk of further displacement in wind.

We secured the remaining sheets with temporary fixings, installed a tarpaulin over the entire roof, and cleared the site. The homeowner called their insurer that afternoon. We returned three days later, removed the remaining sheets, and installed a GRP replacement roof. The insurer covered the full cost.

The homeowner's main concern was the exposure from walking on the driveway sheet. We explained that a single brief exposure to asbestos cement fragments — while not desirable — is not the same as the prolonged occupational exposure that causes mesothelioma. The risk from a single incident is very low. The important thing was that they did not continue to disturb the material, and that the area was properly cleared by professionals.