Asbestos fears at the West End will be investigated today by an expert on the hazardous building material.

Concerns of possible asbestos debris were raised over a building on Boaz Island in Sandys, damaged last week in Hurricane Humberto.

A West End resident yesterday said he had spotted suspected asbestos on the ground near a hangar belonging to Wedco.

Joanna Cranfield, Wedco’s business development manager, said it was “unclear exactly where the asbestos originates from” because a privately owned building nearby had also sustained storm damage.

Ms Cranfield added: “On Tuesday, an expert in asbestos will come to inspect the debris and to ascertain which building it came from.

“There is another privately owned building next to the hangar which appears to have been damaged and has a tarpaulin over it.

“If the asbestos is from Wedco’s building, we will immediately take steps to remove the debris. We will also make a thorough inspection of the hangar itself.”

She said: “Wedco is aware of the situation and has been working to clean and remove loose debris from all properties under its remit, that sustained damage from Hurricane Humberto.”

The comments came after a West End resident, who asked to be referred to as G. Robinson, saw what he believed to be asbestos on the ground near the building in the wake of the hurricane.

Mr Robinson said: “I looked around and I saw all this asbestos on the ground, immersed in the ground. I was wondering where it all came from and then I saw that old building standing there being a nuisance.

“This is all over the grass. I started to take pictures of all this asbestos.

“What would have happened if the wind would have taken that asbestos across the street to where all those people live?”

He added: “This building needs to come down. It’s hazardous. It’s dangerous. It’s detrimental to the environment.

“We still have Tropical Storm Jerry and Karen coming. Who knows which way the wind is going to blow?”

Wayne Caines, the Minister of National Security, said at a press conference on Tropical Storm Jerry that he had not heard complaints about asbestos in the aftermath of Humberto.

Mr Caines added: “Obviously, if there is damage, the damage will be assessed and if there is triage needed, based on the reports that we received from the different government agencies, we will deal with that on a case-by-case basis.”

A spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works said today: “Wedco is aware of the situation and has been working to clean and remove loose debris from all properties under its remit, that sustained damage from Hurricane Humberto.”