Asbestos removal and surveys in Southampton

Asbestos services in Southampton

We survey buildings, test suspect materials and remove asbestos across Southampton and the surrounding area. Most jobs start with a question: is this asbestos, and what should I do about it? If nobody knows, we identify the material first, by sampling it or surveying the building, and then explain the options in plain English, including leaving it alone when that’s the sensible choice.

Asbestos was used in British buildings until it was fully banned in 1999, so any home, flat, school, shop, office or outbuilding built or refurbished before 2000 can contain it. In good condition and left undisturbed, it often isn’t a problem. The risk comes when it’s damaged or disturbed by building work, drilling, sanding or demolition.

Port city, post-war rebuilding and suburbs

Much of central Southampton was rebuilt after the Second World War, and the city grew outwards with large post-war estates and suburbs, alongside docks, industrial estates and commercial buildings. Buildings from the post-war decades often contain asbestos materials, from cement roofs and soffits to textured coatings and floor tiles.

Porch canopies, soffits and garage roofs on post-war houses are typical places where asbestos cement or insulating board turns up. Soffits need testing first, because insulating board is usually licensed work.

Some dockside and industrial sites have their own access rules. Tell us the site and we’ll plan around them.

Prices in Southampton

Every job is quoted individually, because the cost depends on the material, the amount, its condition, access and the waste. A survey is priced on the type of survey, the size of the building and the number of samples. Read how we quote, or our guides to survey costs and garage roof removal costs.

Licensed, notifiable or non-licensed?

Read the difference explained, with links to HSE guidance.

Before work starts in Southampton

• Planning building work? Get a refurbishment and demolition survey of the areas affected before the builders start.
• Landlord or managing agent? Check the asbestos register for shared areas before contractors work there.
• Buying an older property? A pre-purchase survey tells you what’s there before you exchange.
• Found something during DIY? Stop, keep people away, don’t sweep or vacuum it up, and ask for advice.

Around Southampton

Schools near the centre include Bevois Town Primary School, St Anne's Catholic School and St Mary's Independent School. Schools are non-domestic buildings, so whoever runs them has a duty to manage any asbestos and to keep a register. Larger public buildings nearby include Marlands Shopping Centre (1 mile south-west), Royal South Hants Hospital (less than half a mile south) and R J Mitchell Museum (0.9 miles south-west), the kind of non-domestic premises where asbestos management plans apply. Older buildings close to the centre include Saint Mary's; historic buildings that were altered or extended in the 20th century can contain asbestos in later additions. The nearest railway station is St Denys station.