‘Asbestos fear’ for emergency responders at Brighton bombing
Survivors and rescue workers of the Brighton Grand Hotel bombing have been warned they may face a new threat from exposure to asbestos in the debris.
More than three decades after the bombing, Sussex Police have issued an appeal to trace those who worked at the scene of the Brighton bombing in 1984. This follows the death of a Metropolitan Police Officer from an asbestos-related disease in December 2015, after his involvement at the Brighton Hotel bombing.
Sussex Police is working to trace those who were there and provide health information and support. Letters have been sent to Brighton Council, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, Conservative Party members and local hotels and businesses to let them know their staff may have been affected at the time.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry is leading a group to co-ordinate the work since it became aware of the Metropolitan Police Officer’s death who said the force had a duty to identify and inform people.
Mr Barry said “People could have potentially been exposed to asbestos fibres within the hotel debris. While we know that Police Officers working at the scene were issued with personal protective equipment, this was some days after the explosion”.
So far, people have responded to this development on the Sussex Police Facebook Page stating they know or are related to Officers who responded to the blast.
The attack was aimed at the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. Five people died and 34 were injured in the attack during the October 1984 Conservative Party Conference.