A TENANT of the Forest's largest housing association claims his life and health have been put at risk after contractors filled his bungalow with clouds of asbestos dust.

Brian Jackson, who lives in Broadwell with his wife, Jean, first moved into the tenanted bungalow five years ago.

Problems with damp and condensation immediately emerged and after several surveys, contractors for Two Rivers installed an extractor system in the loft, but Brian said this simply made the house "freezing".

After several visits by contractors, where Brian says he raised his concerns there might be asbestos in parts of the building, work was started to drill large ventilation holes in the soffits.

"It was June and boiling hot. I went into the living room and kitchen and the windows were open and there were literally clouds of dust pouring in covering all the surfaces."

Brian says one of the contractors was wearing a mask and overalls, but strenuously denied there was any asbestos to worry about.

After the work was done, Brian and Jean cleaned every surface in the house. "We wiped everything down, the dust was on all the surfaces, everywhere. I was out beating mats by the back door, clouds of dust everywhere."

In the following weeks Brian says he was repeatedly assured by both Two Rivers and its contractors that there was no asbestos at the property.

"I had one contractor come to the door and later he stood by the gate and swore blind there wasn't any asbestos. I was told not to worry."

But Brian wasn't convinced and got in touch with the Forest of Dean's environmental services department and the Local Government Ombudsman.

In August, two months after the ventilation work was done, Two Rivers asked to visit the bungalow.

"They came in convoy, cars and a big white van. Out came blokes in space suits and they asked to set up a laboratory in the kitchen. It was like something out of science fiction".

With local councillor, Terry Hale, at the house, Brian says he was taken aside by a leading executive from Two Rivers.

"He said, 'I'm terribly sorry Brian, but it is asbestos'. Can you imagine how that made me feel, ill, sick to the stomach, frightened.

They told me they were here to check for asbestos dust. I said, this is utter madness, the work was done two months ago and we've cleaned every inch of the house, there's nothing left.

"You can imagine, this is like a sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. We might get sick in a year or 15 years. No one knows."

Since August, Mr and Mrs Jackson have been engaged in a running battle with Two Rivers seeking compensation for the rent they believe they've over-paid because of the damp and poor condition of the bungalow, and also because they claim they have been negligently exposed to asbestos as a result of mismanagement and poor safety procedures.

It culminated in a face to face meeting with board members and Two Rivers chief executive Garry King, when Mr Jackson alleges he was told there was no compensation on the table and if he wanted to move forward he'd need to sue.

But beforehand, in October, formal Improvement Notices were served on Two Rivers and contractors, Rainbow International, in relation to procedures in dealing with asbestos.

Roger Garbett, the Forest of Dean District Council's Group Manager for Environmental Services

said: "As a result of the concern raised about the work an officer of the council referred the complaint to the Health and Safety Executive, as is required by law, to allow them to investigate the matter.

"We have provided the couple with advice and guidance where appropriate. I understand the Health and Safety Executive is currently conducting an investigation into the work carried out."

In an official statement, the Health and Safety Executive said: "HSE investigated the work undertaken by contractors Rainbow International on behalf of the Two Rivers Housing Association and served two Improvement Notices: in the case of the contractors this related to health and safety issues with regard to training of employees; in the case of the housing association, this related to management issues with regard to its risk assessment plans – details of both notices have been published on the HSE website and both the contractors and the housing association have complied with the stipulations of the notices."

At the request of Mr and Mrs Jackson, the issue is now being raised by Forest MP, Mark Harper.

At a meeting last Friday (May 28) Mr Harper said he would be writing to Two Rivers to ensure they had complied with the asbestos notices and to query the continued dampness in the Jackson's home and what was to be done about it."

In a statement, Matthew Hunt, Two Rivers' Director of Development and Asset Management says: "We undertake asbestos surveys in all our homes and we are woking with residents to complete any outstanding surveys. We have robust health and safety procedures in place and as a result of investigating the circumstances surrounding Mr Jackson's situation, the Health and Safety Executive have certified our practices and procedures as fully compliant. We now require all contractors to have increased levels of independent health and safety accreditation."