HSE Licensed Asbestos Flue Removal
An old cement flue is holding up your new boiler or loft insulation, and you need an HSE licensed contractor to take it out properly. Meyer Southern handles asbestos flue removal in homes and commercial buildings, from the first sample to the final paperwork.
Send us a photo and we’ll tell you what you’re dealing with before anyone lifts a tool.
Get In Touch With Our Flue Removal Specialists
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What To Do If You Think Your Flue Contains Asbestos
Most people find out about an asbestos flue pipe at the worst moment. The heating engineer arrives to fit a new combi and won’t touch the old pipe. The loft insulation team packs up. Or a builder spots a grey pipe running up through the house halfway through a renovation.
Leave it alone. Don’t cut it, drill it, snap it or try to box it in yourself. Asbestos cement flue pipes are fairly stable while intact, but breaking them releases asbestos fibres into the air, and that’s where the health risks start. If a section is already cracked, keep people and pets out and shut the door.
Then get it checked. A photo is often enough for us to tell you what you’re looking at, and a sample confirms it.
How To Tell If Your Flue Pipe Is Asbestos
Asbestos cement was the standard material for flue pipes in UK construction for decades. Its heat resistance made it ideal for carrying exhaust gases away from a boiler or gas fire, and it was cheap to fit, so it was commonly installed by the building trade right up to the end. Asbestos was not fully banned in the UK until 1999.
Most asbestos flue pipes contain chrysotile, also known as white asbestos, bound into cement. Signs you’re looking at an asbestos cement flue pipe:
- A chalky grey or off-white colour, sometimes painted black with bitumen
- A rough, gritty surface with no metallic shine
- Thick, heavy sections joined with socket collars rather than push-fit metal joints
- A wider pipe than a modern stainless steel or aluminium flue
- A property built, or a boiler installed, before 2000
Our HSE Licence And The Accreditations Behind It
Meyer Southern holds an HSE asbestos licence, number 262606126. One team can take on everything from a straightforward flue to the licensed work some jobs turn into, without passing you to other contractors halfway through. Every job follows the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and current HSE safety guidance.
Where Asbestos
Flues Turn Up In A Property
A flue is there to vent exhaust gases from a heating appliance out of the building, so asbestos flues follow the route of older heating systems. We find them most often in:
- Boiler cupboards and kitchens, rising from older boilers through the ceiling
- Lofts, where flue pipes cross the roof space and exit through the tiles
- Chimney breasts and liners, often behind a blocked-up fireplace or back boiler
- Boxed-in service risers in flats and terraces
- Warm air heating units and gas fires
- Redundant flue pipes left behind after an earlier boiler swap
Older boiler systems can also hide asbestos ropes and gaskets around the door seals, so the asbestos boiler itself is worth checking too.
Send Us A Photo Of Your Flue And We Will Tell You What It Is
If you’re not sure what it is, take a few photos of the flue, the joints, any label on the boiler and where the pipe runs. WhatsApp them to 0778 666 8538 or upload them through our enquiry form, and one of our team will tell you whether it needs testing, removing or leaving alone.
How Much Does Asbestos
Flue Removal Cost
Prices vary depending on the job, and we give you a fixed quote once we know what’s involved. The main things that shape the price:
- The length and route of the flue pipes, from a short asbestos boiler flue pipe on an outside wall to a run through three floors and the loft
- Access, such as opening up a boxed-in riser, working in a tight loft or working at height
- Whether the boiler is still live, as a Gas Safe engineer has to isolate it first
- Whether rope seals or other boiler parts are coming out at the same visit
- Whether the flue is boxed in with insulation board, which makes it licensed work
- Disposal, since asbestos waste has to go to an authorised site
Good access and a disconnected boiler keep the cost of asbestos boiler flue removal down. Photos help us quote accurately without a wasted visit.
What Customers Say Once The Asbestos Has Gone
How Our HSE Licensed Team Removes An Asbestos Flue In 4 Steps
Every asbestos flue pipe removal follows the same controlled removal process. Here’s what happens from the first visit to the final paperwork.
Survey, Sampling And Planning
We visit to see the full route of the flue pipes and check for other asbestos containing materials nearby, such as insulation board boxing or rope seals. Where there’s doubt, we take a sample for testing. Before work starts, the gas or oil supply must be isolated and capped by a Gas Safe or OFTEC engineer, and we write a risk assessment and method statement covering the potential risks.
Careful Removal In Whole Sections
We seal off the work area and lay protective sheeting. The pipe is dampened to suppress dust, unbolted from its brackets and taken down in whole sections wherever possible, so it stays intact and no fibres are released. Power tools make asbestos dust airborne, so we never use them on a flue. Our team works in personal protective equipment, including FFP3 respirators and disposable overalls, and follows safe handling rules from start to finish.
Sealed And Certified Disposal
Every section is double-bagged or wrapped, sealed and labelled as asbestos waste before it leaves your property. Our registered waste carrier takes it to an authorised site, and you receive a hazardous waste consignment note as proof it was disposed of legally.
Openings Sealed And Area Cleaned
With the flue out, we temporarily seal the opening in the roof, wall or ceiling and clean down the work area. Where the pipe ran through living space, an air test can confirm the room is clear. Licensed jobs finish with a four-stage clearance air test.
Recent Asbestos Projects Across The UK
A few of the jobs our team has completed recently, from garage roofs to ceilings, floor tiles and artex.
Asbestos Removal Project – Salisbury, Wiltshire
Refurbishment Asbestos Survey at Dorchester Middle School, Dorset
Refurbishment Asbestos Survey at Barn House, East Sussex
Targeted Refurbishment Asbestos Survey at Spitfire House, Southampton
Asbestos Ceiling Removal and Reinstatement – Portsmouth
Asbestos Removal Project – Hamble-le-Rice, Southampton
Do You Need The
Flue Removed, Or More?
Flue jobs usually fall into one of three types. Knowing which one you have helps us quote properly.
Boiler, Loft And Chimney Flues
The most common job is asbestos boiler flue pipe removal before a new boiler goes in, or flue pipe removal from a loft where the old system has already gone. We also remove chimney flues and chimney liners. Taking out intact asbestos cement is normally non-licensed work, but it still needs trained operatives, safety equipment and legal disposal.
Flue Plus Asbestos Ropes And Boiler Parts
If the old asbestos boiler is coming out too, its door seals and gaskets often contain asbestos. We remove those alongside the flue in one visit, so your heating engineer can strip out the old unit and fit the new one without another hold-up. It’s the simplest route through asbestos boiler flue removal and a full boiler swap.
Flues Boxed In With Insulation Board (HSE Licensed Work)
Some flues, especially around back boilers and warm air heating, are boxed in with asbestos insulation board (AIB) or wrapped in lagging. These release fibres far more easily, making them dangerous to disturb, so removing them is licensed work. It has to be carried out by an HSE licensed contractor, notified to the HSE 14 days in advance on an ASB5 form, and finished with a four-stage clearance air test. As an HSE licensed contractor, we handle it ourselves.
Asbestos Flue Removal Across The UK
Our teams remove asbestos flues from homes, rented properties and commercial buildings across Hampshire, Berkshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Surrey, Kent, London, West Sussex, East Sussex and Essex, plus Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Domestic jobs are mostly boiler swaps and loft clear-outs in pre-2000 houses. For businesses, schools, landlords and builders on construction sites, we take older flue pipes out of plant rooms, kitchens and warm air heating systems, working around occupied buildings so the site keeps running.
If you’re looking for asbestos flue removal near you, call 0239 307 2182 and we’ll confirm coverage and our next available slot.
Book In Before Your Boiler Install Stalls
An old cement flue doesn’t improve with time. Cement weathers, joints crack, and the longer it stays, the more likely another trade refuses to work near it. Booking early keeps your boiler install or loft insulation on track.
As an HSE licensed contractor with over 30 years in asbestos work, we can get a surveyor out quickly, give you a fixed quote and fit the job around your heating engineer’s dates. One team handles testing, asbestos removal and disposal, and you get the paperwork to prove it was done right.
Call 0239 307 2182, email admin@meyerenvironmental.co.uk, message us on WhatsApp or send the enquiry form below.
Contact Information
UK Head Office:
Meyer Southern/Surveys Ltd.
Langstone Gate,
Solent Road,
Havant,
PO9 1TR
Request A Quote For Your Flue
Send us the details and a photo of the flue, and one of our specialists will get back to you the same day.
Questions Our Customers Ask About Asbestos Flue Removal
Is Meyer Southern HSE licensed to remove asbestos?
Yes. Meyer Southern holds an HSE asbestos licence, number 262606126, so we can carry out licensed work, such as removing insulation board and pipe lagging, as well as non-licensed jobs like most flues. Many contractors who take out flues don’t hold a licence, so if licensed materials turn up, they have to stop and bring someone else in.
You can check any contractor on the HSE’s published register of licensed asbestos contractors. Ask for the licence number before you book and check it matches the company name.
Does asbestos flue removal need a licensed contractor?
Not always. Removing an intact asbestos cement flue is normally non-licensed work under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, though it still needs trained operatives, the right safety controls and legal disposal.
It becomes licensed work when the flue is boxed in with AIB, wrapped in lagging or sits alongside other higher-risk asbestos containing materials. The legal requirements depend on the type and condition of the material, so we check before quoting. Using an HSE licensed contractor from the start means the job doesn’t stall if something more serious turns up behind the boxing.
Can I remove an asbestos flue pipe myself?
The law doesn’t stop homeowners removing non-licensed asbestos at their own property, but we wouldn’t recommend it. It’s easy to crack the pipe on the way down, and broken sections release asbestos fibres into your home. You’d also need a suitable respirator, a way to keep the pipe damp, and somewhere legal to take it.
Getting rid of it the wrong way, such as using a skip or dumping it, can lead to fines. Professional asbestos flue pipe removal is safer and quicker, and you get a consignment note to prove where it went.
Can my boiler engineer take the old flue out?
Usually not. Gas Safe engineers are trained on boilers, not asbestos, and most will stop work as soon as they suspect an asbestos boiler flue. Cutting or snapping the flue to fit a new boiler is one of the most common ways people end up exposed.
The usual order is simple. Your engineer isolates and caps the gas, we remove the flue and any asbestos parts, then your engineer fits the new boiler. We’re happy to line up dates with them directly.
Is it safe to leave an old flue where it is?
Often, yes. Intact asbestos cement is a lower risk material because the fibres are locked in, so a sound flue that isn’t in anyone’s way can stay. Some people have it sealed with an encapsulating coating or boxed off so it can’t be knocked.
It needs removing when it’s cracked or crumbling, when building work will disturb it, or when another trade won’t work near it. Send us photos and we’ll tell you honestly whether removal is worth it.
What are the health risks of an asbestos flue?
The danger comes from fibre release. When asbestos cement is cut, broken or badly weathered, harmful asbestos fibres get into the air, and breathing them in can cause mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer years later. Around 2,500 people die from mesothelioma in the UK every year, and the HSE estimates around 5,000 asbestos-related deaths a year.
Health risk builds with repeated asbestos exposure, but there’s no level the HSE treats as safe. If a flue has broken in your home, close the area off and call us before anyone cleans up.
