By Louisa Barnett
CroydonGuardian
A report claiming a deadly asbestos dump is situated next to Elstree Studios has been vehemently denied by Hertsmere Council.
The Daily Star Sunday reported at the weekend that the celebrities in the Big Brother house were at risk from two types of cancers if a gust of wind carried asbestos fibres onto the set.
The council admits that asbestos is buried next to the studios but that it is deep underground and not a health risk.
The tabloid article stated that fathers rights protestors who stormed the site on Friday last week disturbed the soil on top of the dump.
The council denied that the protestors had been anywhere near the site.
The asbestos was buried on fenced-off land in the 1950s, when MGM, who owned the studios, filled in parts of the site with rubble and building material from the surrounding area.
A council spokesman said: "This is just scare mongering by the tabloid press - it is irresponsible journalism and their suggestions of cancer scares have been completely disproved by scientific testing."
He said that independent tests on the contaminated land are carried out as 'an extra security measure' and show that the site is suitable for 'return to normal use'. He added that the damp British weather meant that the chances of fibres becoming airborne was extremely low.
The reporter who wrote the story, Jonathan Corke, stands by his story 100 per cent.
He said: "I don't swallow anything the council tell me.
"The facts are plain and simple. It has been proven that there is an asbestos dump situated next to the studios and it is in the public interest to know this. There is a risk, however much they play it down and deny it, and it is my responsibility as a reporter to let the public know that."
But Neville Reid, director of Elstree film studios, said the report was a complete fabrication'.
"There are tiny amounts of low grade asbestos, but it's securely fenced off and there is no access allowed by anybody at any time, which is strictly monitored by studio staff. No excavation is allowed on that site at all."
Mr Reid concluded: "The long-term plan is that the site will be cleared up, and when that happens, we will adhere strictly to health and safety requirements and we will work closely with the council when that happens."
6:48pm today
