The Owl · Morning Edition

Mount Batten Beach in Plymouth has been fenced off since the summer. Tests in April and July found asbestos fibres in sand samples at levels that could harm health if inhaled, the city council said. Two rounds of testing found no airborne asbestos, but the fibres in the sand were enough to trigger the closure. Since 2019, more than 1.5 tonnes of asbestos-containing material has been cleared, and the council says the amount washing up has not really declined. Residents and experts suspect buried roofing waste from the former RAF base is being exposed by coastal erosion, though the source is not yet confirmed. The council calls reopening a high priority but a complex task, and tests at other waterfront sites are checking how far the contamination spreads.