The Isle of Wight Council have this afternoon (Wednesday) confirmed that asbestos has been found in the rubble core of a temporary make shift road laid by residents at Undercliff Drive.
Laboratory results have confirmed the presence of asbestos within a ground investigation trial hole at a depth of 0.6m and again at 1.0m on the access road constructed by local residents following the collapse of the Undercliff.
The owners of the adjoining land have been notified, as have the Environment Agency and Natural England. Over the coming days Island Roads, with the assistance of technical specialists, will seek to identify the extent of the contamination before agreeing the appropriate course of action with relevant parties.
The Isle of Wight Council and Island Roads are considering options of how best to progress the works at Undercliff Drive in light of the discovery of asbestos on site and will provide further details as soon as possible.
Ground investigation contractors were brought in to provide information regarding potential contaminants in the hard-core access from the west. The discovery of asbestos may mean the resident-laid access road has to be removed entirely, all adding to a delay in the overall project.
As previously reported, work to restore permanent access to properties on Undercliff Drive began in June.
