Asbestos removal in East London: the direct answer
For an East London property, the right first step is to establish what the material is and what work is proposed. Diamond Asbestos Services handles non-licensed asbestos work and can arrange analysis through a UKAS-accredited laboratory where a sample is tested. Work involving higher-risk materials or conditions may require an HSE-licensed contractor; the category depends on the material, condition and work method.
What this East London asbestos-removal page covers
This is a practical service page for enquiries from the cross-river East London catchment around Docklands and the Tower Hamlets/Newham boundary. The Greater London Authority includes both Newham and Tower Hamlets in its East London geography; that geographic framing describes the catchment only and does not make a claim about asbestos in any borough or building. For the broader regional route, see the South East London asbestos-removal hub.
Diamond Asbestos Services handles non-licensed asbestos work. It does not present every suspect item as a removal job: identification, material condition and the planned activity come first. If the work is licensable, Diamond refers it to an HSE-licensed asbestos contractor, in line with HSE guidance and the licensing requirement in Regulation 8 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
- East London is used as a cross-river location description, not as evidence of local asbestos prevalence.
- The service scope is non-licensed work only; a higher-risk route is referred rather than offered.
- A free quote or enquiry can be requested once the available information and the intended work are understood.
A risk-based decision, not a postcode-based one
Whether asbestos work is licensed, notifiable non-licensed or non-licensed depends on the proposed work and its risk. HSE says the employer is responsible for deciding how much risk the work presents.
Start with identification before deciding on removal
HSE states that the only way to confirm definitively that a suspect material contains asbestos fibres is to analyse a representative sample. Its guidance also says that analysis is a skilled specialist task and that anyone commissioning analysis must ensure the analyst or laboratory is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025; in Great Britain, HSE recognises UKAS accreditation for this purpose. Where testing is appropriate, Diamond can use asbestos testing and sampling with analysis by a UKAS-accredited laboratory.
For planned refurbishment, structural work or a wider question about what may be present, an asbestos survey for the intended work may be the more useful route. HSE distinguishes management surveys from refurbishment or demolition surveys, and says the latter must identify hidden asbestos-containing materials before structural work begins. The correct survey or sampling route depends on the premises and the work being planned, so no result should be assumed from photographs or a visual description.
- Use laboratory analysis to confirm a suspect material rather than treating an appearance as proof.
- Use a survey where the scope needs to establish location, amount and condition, or where planned work requires a more intrusive assessment.
- Give the intended work and any information already available when making an enquiry, so the next step can be considered in context.
| Enquiry position | Useful next route | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| A material is suspected but unconfirmed | Testing or sampling | Laboratory analysis can confirm whether asbestos is present; appearance alone cannot. |
| A building is in normal use and needs asbestos information managed | Management survey | HSE says this supports an asbestos register and management plan for dutyholders. |
| Refurbishment, demolition or structural work is planned | Refurbishment or demolition survey | HSE says this survey must locate hidden asbestos-containing materials before structural work begins. |
| A material is confirmed and work is proposed | Risk-based scope decision | The material, condition and method determine whether work is non-licensed, notifiable non-licensed or licensable. |
Why laboratory accreditation is relevant
UKAS accredits asbestos-testing laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025. The accreditation applies to the laboratory activity; it is not an accreditation of Diamond Asbestos Services.
How non-licensed and licensable asbestos work differ
Not all asbestos work requires an HSE licence, but non-licensed work remains regulated and requires risk assessment, suitable controls and appropriate training. HSE gives carefully handled removal of asbestos-cement products in reasonable condition as one example that can be non-licensed, while stressing that the decision is based on risk rather than a material name alone. Learn more about the material route through asbestos cement removal.
HSE identifies sprayed coatings, work that may disturb pipe lagging, loose-fill insulation and some work on asbestos insulating board (AIB) as licensable examples. Asbestos insulation board, sprayed coatings, pipe lagging or damaged higher-risk material may require an HSE-licensed contractor; the correct category depends on the material, condition and work method. Diamond does not undertake licensable work and refers that work to an HSE-licensed asbestos contractor.
- Non-licensed does not mean uncontrolled: the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and HSE guidance still apply.
- Some work is notifiable non-licensed work and brings extra duties, including notification, medical surveillance and record keeping.
- Licensable work must be done by a contractor holding an HSE licence; Regulation 8 requires a licence before an employer undertakes licensable work with asbestos.
| Work category | What determines it | Diamond's route |
|---|---|---|
| Non-licensed work | Low-risk conditions set out in HSE guidance, alongside risk assessment and controls | Diamond may consider the work within its non-licensed scope. |
| Notifiable non-licensed work | Material, condition and method can trigger additional notification and worker-health duties | The requirements must be established before work is planned; it is not assumed from the material name. |
| Licensable work | Higher-risk work, including examples such as sprayed coatings, pipe lagging, loose-fill insulation and some AIB work | Diamond refers the work to an HSE-licensed asbestos contractor. |
No one-size-fits-all material list
Asbestos cement, textured coatings and floor tiles are not automatically non-licensed in every condition or work method. HSE's risk-based guidance must be applied to the actual proposed work.
A clear route for East London enquiries
For a confirmed or suspected material, an enquiry can set out the property location, the material information already available and the work being considered. Diamond uses that information to distinguish a possible non-licensed scope from a situation that needs testing, a survey, or referral. This defined scope is deliberate: Diamond handles non-licensed asbestos work and routes licensable work to an HSE-licensed contractor, rather than implying that all categories can be undertaken by one provider.
Waste handling is part of planning, but this page does not give disposal instructions. If the enquiry concerns material that has already been removed or requires collection, the separate asbestos collection and disposal service explains that service context. For dutyholders in non-domestic premises or the common parts of multi-occupancy domestic premises, HSE's duty-to-manage guidance requires assessment of asbestos-containing or presumed asbestos-containing materials, an up-to-date record and a management plan; it does not say that removal is always the first outcome.
- State whether the material has been tested or whether a survey report is available.
- Describe the intended work rather than assuming that removal is necessary.
- Use the survey, testing or licensed-contractor route where that is the safer and more appropriate next step.
A proportionate next step
A sound material may need management rather than immediate removal, whereas a material that will be disturbed needs an appropriate assessment of the planned work. The decision should follow the evidence and risk assessment, not a presumption based on location.
Related asbestos services and guidance
These pages keep related questions in their own scope, so an East London enquiry can move to the right next step without treating every material as the same job. Start with asbestos surveys in London where the building and planned work need broader assessment, or asbestos testing and sampling where a suspect material needs laboratory confirmation. For a regional overview, use the South East London removal hub; for an enquiry about a defined non-licensed scope, use the free asbestos quote route.
- Asbestos surveys in London: management and refurbishment or demolition survey routes.
- Asbestos testing and sampling: laboratory confirmation of a suspect material.
- Asbestos cement removal: material-specific non-licensed work context.
- South East London asbestos-removal hub: regional service overview.
- Free asbestos quote route: an enquiry route once the available information and intended work can be described.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Diamond Asbestos Services handles non-licensed asbestos work for London enquiries, including the East London catchment described on this page. The work category is not decided by postcode or appearance: it depends on the material, its condition and the proposed method. If the work is licensable, Diamond refers it to an HSE-licensed asbestos contractor rather than undertaking it.
Sources and further reading
- 1. Health and Safety Executive. Non-licensed work with asbestos Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 2. Health and Safety Executive. Licensable work with asbestos Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 3. legislation.gov.uk. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, Regulation 8: Licensing of work with asbestos Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 4. Health and Safety Executive. Sourcing professional advice and services on asbestos issues Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 5. UKAS. Laboratory Accreditation | Asbestos testing Accessed 24 September 2026.
- 6. Greater London Authority. Economic Recovery Implementation Plan Accessed 24 September 2026.