Asbestos Removal in Chelmsford

Found asbestos in a Chelmsford home? Start here

Chelmsford grew first as an engineering town and later as a commuter city. Its housing is a real mix. There are Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Moulsham and Springfield, long runs of interwar semis, and large modern estates at Chelmer Village, Great Baddow and Beaulieu. The older the house, the more likely asbestos sits in a garage roof, a textured ceiling, floor tiles or around old pipework. What you do next depends on the material, not on the age of the house.

• Do not disturb it until you know what it is. Material in good condition that is left alone is low risk. Breaking it up is the danger.
• It cannot go in your bin or the recycling centre. Essex has its own route for household asbestos, set out further down this page.

Every HSE licensed contractor covering Essex

Chelmsford sits in the county with the most asbestos licences in Britain. The register lists 63 firms with an Essex address, and three of them are based in Chelmsford itself. Any of the rest will travel here for the work. The licence number and expiry date come straight from the HSE register, so you can check any firm yourself in about thirty seconds.

58 of the 63 hold a standard licence, which is the one that covers removal. Four firms here hold a scaffolding licence, not a removal one: Merk Scaffolding Limited in Wickford, Scaffolding Access Limited in Brentwood, Sensible Scaffolding Ltd in Tilbury and Silvercrest Scaffolding Ltd in Basildon. A scaffolding licence covers putting up and taking down scaffold around asbestos work, not removing anything, so those are not who you ring about a garage roof. One firm here holds a maintenance licence rather than a standard one: Safe Pass Limited in Basildon. A maintenance licence is narrower, covering short duration maintenance rather than full removal, so ask directly whether your job falls inside it.

Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.

Two things on the Essex list worth knowing for Chelmsford

• Most of the county’s firms sit south of you. The big cluster is around Basildon and Wickford in south Essex, roughly twenty miles down the A130. They quote for Chelmsford work without a second thought. Do not limit yourself to the Chelmsford names.
• Keep an eye on the expiry dates. None of the Essex firms hold a licence expiring in the next 6 weeks. A renewal date is not a warning sign. If you are booking ahead, it is a fair thing to check.

Getting rid of small amounts in Chelmsford

The recycling centre on Drovers Way does not take asbestos, and nor does any Essex County Council site. There is a proper route instead.

• Essex County Council will collect it from your home. Every household in Essex can book one subsidised asbestos collection each financial year, as long as it is from your own house. You request it through the council.
• The Drovers Way recycling centre is for ordinary household waste only. You book a slot for a car or van each time you visit. Asbestos is not on the list of what they take.
• Never put it in a bin or a skip. Asbestos is hazardous waste and has to go through the home collection or a licensed firm.

Check the current rules on the council’s hazardous waste page before you move anything, because these change.

Chelmsford’s engineering past is why the region’s rate is high

Chelmsford was one of the country’s big electrical and engineering towns. Marconi built the world’s first purpose-built radio factory here, Hoffmann made ball bearings on a large scale, and Crompton made electrical equipment. Those works used asbestos for lagging, insulation and fire protection. The men who worked around it are the generation showing up in the figures now, because mesothelioma can take decades to appear.

• East of England: 64.4 deaths per million. The second highest of any region in Britain.
• Great Britain as a whole: 55.9.

Figures from the HSE’s mesothelioma statistics for Great Britain. The highest risk today is to people who worked in the building trades while asbestos was in use. In Chelmsford, the exposure that matters now is in the housing stock.

What removal is likely to cost in Chelmsford

The material and the access decide the price, not the postcode. A cement garage roof in good order is the cheap end. Artex and floor tiles are the middle. Sprayed coatings and pipe lagging are the expensive end, because they need a sealed enclosure. What Chelmsford gives you is choice. With 58 firms holding a standard licence in the county, you are in a stronger position on price than someone ringing the only firm for miles. For the full breakdown see our guide to asbestos removal cost.

Asbestos removal in Chelmsford: questions people ask

Will the council take my asbestos away?

Yes. Essex County Council offers one subsidised home collection per household each financial year, for asbestos from your own house. You book it through the council.

Can I take asbestos to Chelmsford recycling centre?

No. The Drovers Way centre takes ordinary household waste only and you book a slot to visit. Asbestos is not accepted there or at any Essex County Council site.

How many licensed firms can I choose from?

Across Essex, 63 hold a current licence, three of them in Chelmsford. The rest of the county, and firms just over the London border, quote here too.

Why do some firms show a scaffolding or maintenance licence?

Those licences cover scaffold work or short maintenance jobs, not full removal. We show the type on every row so you ring the right firm.

Getting a quote from a Chelmsford contractor

Not in Chelmsford? See the full county list for Essex, the firms covering London, or every area we cover.