Asbestos Removal & Surveys in Cumbria

Asbestos Specialists Across Cumbria

Cumbria's shipbuilding at Barrow-in-Furness and its industrial works used a lot of asbestos insulation. It's still in many of the county's older buildings.

Stone terraces, rural homes and post-war estates are the norm. Much of it was built before the asbestos ban.

Barrow's shipyards used asbestos on a scale few places in the country matched, and the terraces built for their workers still stand. Across the rest of Cumbria the buildings are older and more spread out. They're stone farms and cottages, where asbestos came in with twentieth century repairs rather than the original build. Whitehaven and Workington have their own industrial past in coal, chemicals and steel. The housing built next to those works shares its age, and often its materials.

Of the property in Cumbria that predates the 1999 ban, the largest single group was built before 1900. Altogether about 83.7% of its 257,110 homes predate the ban. Very old buildings often carry asbestos from later repairs and refits rather than from original construction, so what matters is what has been done to a building, not just when it went up.

The most common property type in Cumbria is terraced houses, at about 30.6% of the stock, followed by semi-detached houses at 26%. In terraced housing built before the ban, extensions, outbuildings and replacement roofs are where asbestos cement and insulating board most often turn up.

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How it works in Cumbria

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Managing & Disposing of Asbestos in Cumbria

It covers business premises, public buildings and the shared parts of blocks of flats in both of Cumbria's councils. What the duty to manage requires is set out in full in our guide for landlords and businesses.

Disposing of asbestos in Cumbria

In Cumbria, small amounts of household asbestos are accepted at some recycling centres. In Westmorland and Furness these are Barrow, Kendal and Flusco (Penrith), free of charge. In Cumberland the Carlisle, Clay Flatts (Workington), Frizington and Wigton centres take it and the council does not state a charge; Brampton, Maryport and Millom do not take it. Both councils accept a maximum of four sheets or bags on any day, over a maximum of three visits, in lengths no longer than six feet, double wrapped in polythene and sealed with tape. Call the site before you visit so they can check they have space, and tell a member of staff on arrival. Both councils say their centres are for residents only. Both councils say you must apply for a waste permit before your visit if you use a van or utility vehicle or a car towing a double axle trailer (up to 3m long), or if you arrive on foot, and a vehicle that needs a permit will not be let in without one; apply through your own council (Westmorland and Furness only processes applications Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). Neither council lets you park outside the site and walk waste in, and a van or utility vehicle may not tow a trailer. For more than a few sheets, or longer lengths, use a specialist contractor who is a licensed waste carrier. (council source, verified 2026-10-10)

Check the site's own page before you travel. Recycling centres are often closed on set weekdays, and often set extra rules for vans, pick-ups, trailers and visitors on foot, such as permits, size limits or no access on foot.

Asbestos waste is classed as hazardous (special) waste.So there are rules on how it's wrapped, labelled, carried and recorded. We set them out in full in our disposal guide.

Councils across Cumbria set their own rules for households. When we arrange the work, disposal is handled for you. For the rules where you live, see our asbestos disposal by council lookup, or check typical prices in the UK asbestos removal cost report.