Asbestos confirmed in Brighton hotel following blaze but risk to public 'very low'

Asbestos has been confirmed to be in the Brighton hotel which caught alight at the weekend, the city council has said.

The fire broke out at the Royal Albion Hotel on Saturday evening with firefighters managing to bring the blaze under control yesterday.

Brighton and Hove City Council has confirmed that asbestos was used in the hotel but the fire service says the risk to the public is "very low".

In a statement, the council said: "Asbestos is known to be in the textured ceiling coatings used in the building but there is unlikely to be any significant risk of exposure to asbestos following this fire."

The council added that its Building Control Team are on site and contractors are expected to start demolition of the damaged section of the building tomorrow (Wednesday 19 July).

It will help the fire crews access the site, as parts of the building are no longer structurally safe.

UKPower Networks and Southern Gas networks are at the site to ensure that all electric and gas are isolated and made safe prior to any work progressing.

The council expects the demolition will take two to three weeks.

Council Leader Councillor Bella Sankey added: “The demolition of part of the Royal Albion Hotel has been delayed until tomorrow on health and safety grounds.

“We of course want to save as much of this iconic, heritage building as possible and have tasked our contractors to do this.

“As many original features as possible will be set aside for reuse or for moulds / copying.

“A 3D scan of the whole exterior of the building has been carried out, and we will be taking photos regularly to hopefully allow us to replicate the original features.

“We are in contact with Historic England and will continue to work closely with them.”

Group Manager, Katie Cornhill, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said: "To reassure all the local population, the risk from asbestos is of a very low risk.

"Any demolition of a building has to have an assessment undertaken to control the hazards.

"Asbestos will be one of those hazards that are addressed through the risk assessment.

"When they demolish this building it will be in a safe manner to make sure there's no asbestos spread from this building."

• East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service says the risk to the public is "very low"

Alistair Hill, Director of Public Health, added: “We understand there are health concerns about asbestos. I would like to reassure people that the risks to health are low.

“Asbestos is known to be in the textured ceiling coatings used in the building but there is unlikely to be any significant risk of exposure to asbestos following this fire.

“The area around the hotel will remain closed off to the public and we do not believe that any asbestos has fallen outside this area.

“Our on-site contractor who will be responsible for demolishing the damaged parts of the hotel will be continually assessing the risk and security will remain on site at all times.

“While work is ongoing, if residents or businesses in the area notice any smoke or dust in the air please keep windows and doors closed.”

Part of Kings Road (A259) between the Old Steine roundabout and East Street, as well as most of Pool Valley, has been fenced off due to the risk of falling debris during the demolition process. The council says it expects Pool Valley to remain closed for the next three weeks.

The properties directly behind the Albion Hotel will remain inaccessible due to the risk of falling debris during the demolition process.

Businesses outside of this exclusion zone can reopen but the council says they should carry out their own risk assessments.

Residents displaced by the fire are being asked to contact the council's housing team by emailing housing.advice@brighton-hove.gov.uk or calling 01273 294 400 (option 1).