MORE than 20 schools in the Wyre Forest district still contain asbestos – despite it killing around 2,000 people in the UK every year, the Shuttle can reveal.

A Freedom of Information request to Worcestershire County Council uncovered a list of 131 schools across Worcestershire that still hold the toxic material, not including academies.

In the Wyre Forest district, this includes:

Abberley Parochial Primary School

Bayton C.E Primary School

Bewdley Primary School

Blakedown C.E Primary School

Comberton Primary School

Cookley Sebright Primary School

Foley Park Community Primary School

Franche Community Primary School

Hartlebury C.E Primary School

Harvington C.E First School

Lea Memorial C.E Primary School

Offmore Primary School

St Anne’s C.E Primary School

St Bartholomew’s C.E Primary School

St George’s C.E Primary School

St John’s C.E Primary School

St Oswald’s C.E Primary School

The Bewdley School and Sixth Form Centre

Upper Arley C.E Primary School

Wilden All Saint’s C.E Primary School

Wolverley C.E Secondary School

But the council has insisted that removing the material in some schools would entail demolishing the building altogether, with the only possible response to leave the danger contained in the structure.

A county council spokesman said: “Asbestos was formerly in common use as a building material, typically found in cement boards or sheets, roofing materials or as insulation.

“Asbestos, when bonded in cement, is relatively stable but becomes dangerous where it gets damaged or the fibres are disturbed.

"The council has had a programme of asbestos surveys and removal, encapsulation and remediation works for many years and this is under continual review.

“Although the majority of friable asbestos has been dealt with there is still a legacy of asbestos in places that are difficult to access or are part of the structure of the building; removing the latter would probably entail demolition and rebuild.

"It is and it remains Worcestershire County Council policy to remove asbestos materials that are likely to be damaged or disturbed and this is routinely done during major refurbishment and maintenance works.”

The council emphasised it is complying with asbestos regulations and claims there have been no incidents of asbestos exposure in Wyre Forest in the last five years.

Asbestos-related diseases rarely show symptoms until between 25 and 50 years after the person was exposed to it.