A COMPANY whose Colchester staff were exposed to asbestos have been fined £13,000 plus costs.

At Colchester Magistrates Court electrical retailer Stellison Ltd admitted breaching the Health and Safety At Work Act by failing to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees.

Colchester Council brought the charges after visiting the firm’s premises in Harwich Road, Colchester, on November 18.

An inspector found staff had been exposed to asbestos fibres whilst working in the storeroom.

He noticed fibrous material where Asbestos Insulation Board (AIB), known as Asbestolux, had been removed.

Stellison was served with a Prohibition Notice to prevent access to the affected area until it was decontaminated, and an Improvement Notice requiring them to come up with a management plan.

The council said Stellison failed to ensure damaged asbestos containing materials were removed until March 2007, despite having an Asbestos survey nearly two years earlier.

The contractor appointed to remove it was not licensed by the Asbestos Licensing Unit of the Health and Safety Executive to remove this type of asbestos.

Unknown to Stellison, they left brown asbestos at the premises.

No-one from family-run firm Stellison, which sells goods including televisions, fridges, washing machines and ovens at seven stores across Essex, was available for comment.