Waltham Forest council has been fined £66,000 plus costs for failing to protect staff and visitors to the town hall from asbestos.
Judge Deborah Taylor, sitting today at Southwark Crown Court, imposed the fine and told the authority the fine would have been much higher if a private company had committed the same offence.
The prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive began after asbestos was discovered inside the town hall in Forest Road in 2012.
Despite warnings dating back to 2002, the authority failed to take appropriate action and continued to allow staff into contaminated areas.
Leytonstone resident Nick Tiratsoo alerted the HSE to the issue after he was denied permission to see council documents because they were contaminated.
An investigation found all three types of asbestos in the building.
On top of the £66,000 fine, the authority must pay costs to the HSE of more than £16,000.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel