Asbestos Removal in Kent

Every HSE licensed asbestos contractor covering Kent

There are 20 licences on the register with a Kent address, out of 362 in the whole United Kingdom. That puts Kent second only to Essex among the English counties.

Most of them are standard licences, which is the type that covers removal work. One firm here holds a maintenance licence rather than a standard one: HSP Site Supplies Ltd in West Kingsdown. A maintenance licence is narrower, covering short duration maintenance rather than full removal, so ask directly whether your job falls inside it. The Type column marks each one so you do not waste a phone call.

Contractors travel. A firm in Dartford will normally work across the county and into south east London without difficulty, so do not rule one out because it is forty minutes up the A2.

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

Four things on the Kent list worth knowing

• Keep an eye on expiry dates. None of the Kent firms hold a licence expiring in the next 6 weeks. Licences are renewed all the time and an expiry date does not mean anything is wrong, but if you are booking work for the autumn it is a fair thing to ask about before you commit.
• East Kent is very thin. Canterbury has two. Thanet, Dover, Folkestone and Deal have none at all. If you are on the coast, the nearest licensed firm is a drive away and you should expect that to show up in the quote as travel time rather than assume you are being had.
• Several sit in DA postcodes on the London fringe. Dartford, Erith, Sidcup, Belvedere and West Kingsdown. Some of those addresses are administratively in the London Borough of Bexley now rather than Kent, but they hold Kent postcodes, they work across north Kent, and the register lists them under Kent. We have left them in rather than quietly trimming the list to make it look neater.
• Dartford alone has three. If you are anywhere along the Thames side of the county you have more choice within half an hour than someone in Ashford has in the whole of east Kent.

Getting rid of small amounts in Kent

Kent is one of the easier counties for this, and it is worth knowing before you pay anyone to take a garage roof away.

Kent County Council accepts asbestos cement at its household waste recycling centres, at every site except Sheerness. The published rules are specific, and they matter, because turning up outside them means being turned away.

• Quantity: no more than five bags or sheets, or the equivalent, per month.
• Packaging: double bagged or wrapped in plastic sheeting, with nothing sticking out.
• Size: no piece larger than 10 feet by 5 feet, which is 3 metres by 1.5 metres.
• Condition: keep it damp. Wear gloves and a face mask, and do not break or cut it.
• On site: the asbestos container is kept locked. Ask a member of staff to unlock it. Staff are not allowed to help you lift.
• Paperwork: you complete a declaration confirming the waste came from your own home.

Medway is separate. Medway Council is its own unitary authority and does not sit under Kent County Council, so if you live in Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham or Strood, check Medway’s own rules rather than assuming the county policy applies to you.

Rules and site lists change. Check your council’s current page and ring the site before you load anything into the car. Their version is the one that counts, not ours.

What you must not do is put it in a household bin, a general skip, or the back of a van to a commercial tip that has not agreed to take it.

The South East is well above the national rate

• South East: 63.7 deaths per million
• Great Britain as a whole: 55.9

Second only to the North East. Chatham dockyard and the Medway towns are part of the reason, along with decades of construction across the county.

Figures from the HSE’s mesothelioma statistics for Great Britain.

What asbestos removal in Kent is likely to cost

Two things are worth knowing for Kent specifically. If your job is a small quantity of asbestos cement and you are willing to handle it yourself within the council rules above, the disposal part may cost you nothing at a Kent tip. And if you are in east Kent, expect travel to appear in the quote, because it is a longer journey for the firm.

Asbestos removal in Kent: questions people ask

Can I take asbestos to the tip in Kent?

Asbestos cement, yes, within the county council rules set out above: five bags or sheets a month, double wrapped, kept damp, nothing bigger than 3 metres by 1.5 metres, and every site except Sheerness. Ask staff to unlock the container. Other types of asbestos are a different question and need identifying first.

Why are there no licensed contractors in Thanet or Dover?

Because the HSE licence is hard to get and hard to keep, and there are 362 holders in the entire United Kingdom. Coverage follows industry and population, and the Thames side of Kent has far more of both. Firms travel, so it is not a problem, it just means a longer drive.

Getting a quote from a Kent contractor

Firms just over the county line quote for Kent work routinely. If you want to widen the field, see the licensed contractors covering London and Brighton and East Sussex.

Not in Kent? See all areas we cover.