Asbestos Removal & Surveys in West Sussex

Asbestos Specialists Across West Sussex

West Sussex has little heavy industry. So its asbestos comes less from factories and more from the sheer amount of building along the coast and around Crawley in the middle of the twentieth century.

Crawley was made a new town in 1947 and built out through the 1950s and 1960s. The coastal towns from Worthing to Bognor Regis have lots of inter-war and post-war housing alongside older seaside property.

Crawley's first neighbourhoods, and the buildings that went up around Gatwick, date from the peak years for asbestos insulating board. Much of that stock is still in use. The coast is different again. Victorian and Edwardian houses there were long ago split into flats, and the asbestos is as likely to be in the shared parts as inside any one home. Inland at Horsham, Midhurst and Petworth the buildings are older and far more spread out. Asbestos there usually came from twentieth century repairs and new roofs on much older buildings, not from the original build.

About four in five properties in West Sussex predate the 1999 ban, 79.8% of roughly 409,890 homes, and among those 1965 to 1982 is the most common period. Age alone is a reason to check before disturbing anything, not a reason to assume the worst.

The most common property type in West Sussex is flats and maisonettes, at about 23% of the stock, followed by terraced houses at 22.6%. In flats and maisonettes the material is as likely to be in the communal parts, in service risers, ducts and the panels around them, as it is inside any one home.

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How it works in West Sussex

Tell us what you've got and your postcode, and we'll send a free quote with no obligation. If you go ahead, we book a specialist suited to the job, licensed where the work needs it. Get my free quote

Managing & Disposing of Asbestos in West Sussex

It applies to business premises, public buildings and the shared parts of blocks of flats right across West Sussex. What the duty to manage requires is set out in full in our guide for landlords and businesses.

Disposing of asbestos in West Sussex

In West Sussex, cement-bonded asbestos (only) can be taken to the Burgess Hill, Chichester, Crawley and Worthing recycling centres, up to a maximum of 200kg, double-wrapped or double-bagged in clear 1,000-gauge polythene and sealed with tape. You must book a slot before visiting any West Sussex recycling centre and bring proof that you live in the county. The county's asbestos page does not state a charge, and its charges for DIY-type waste have been suspended since 11 April 2017. Other asbestos types and large amounts need a private contractor. (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 West Sussex 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.