Work has now come to a stop as a result of the asbestos detected in the old sealant of the windows that were being removed.

A Highland Council spokesman confirmed the problem but stressed: "Tests at the weekend revealed a zero presence of air-borne asbestos fibres during the window removal process and therefore no risk is posed to staff and pupils or the workers."

The spokesman added: "It is company policy for Morrisons staff not to work with asbestos and that has been written into their contract with us."

As a precaution the area of the school where the asbestos was found - classroom 14 which is used to teach English - was sealed off. It was due to be used again for lessons from yesteday (Tuesday) following the all-clear.

Mr John Tracey, headteacher at Kingussie High School, said: "When the concern was raised the room was blocked off to all staff and pupils. We have not been using the room and alternative arrangements were put in place."

He added: "It is a shame that this has caused a delay to our window replacement programme but our primary concern had to be the safety of our pupils and staff."

Windows in three classrooms had already been replaced before work was halted.

The discovery of the asbestos – whose fibres if inhaled can cause lung cancer and other serious illness including mesothelioma and asbestosis if subject to long-term exposure – is the second setback this year to hit the school which has a roll of 446 pupils.

The school suffered significant flood damage in early June when a cleaner accidentally set off a high-powered hose when her cleaning applicance "crashed" into a fire hydrant – leading to the pupils having three unexpected days off. The hydrant in the admin corridor burst after being struck and started disgorging thousands of litres of water which soaked through the first floor causing damage running into tens of thousands of pounds.

Morrison Construction are to bring in a specialist asbestos removal contractor to remove the old windows before resuming work to install modern doubled glazed windows.

A spokesman for the firm confirmed: "We have found a very small amount of asbestos and we are dealing with it in accordance to the instructions put forward by the Health and Safety Executive."

There was concern amongst some parents that there had been no correspondence from the school about the asbestos discovery – and remarks about cancer had caused unnecessary alarm for some children.

One mother, who did not want to be named, said: "It is such an important and worrying issue that this should not have come home via our children."

Highland Council confirmed yesterday (Tuesday) that headteacher Mr Tracey would be sending out correspondence setting out the background and reassuring them the asbestos poses no risk.

It states: "Work has currently stopped on the contract as the result of the detection of asbestos in a mastic sealant compound used on the old windows. The asbestos consultant involved highlighted last week that the likelihood of contamination was 'very low' and it posed no risk to staff, students and workers.

"To provide additional reassurance that it is safe to continue the works the Highland Council and Morrison Construction engaged asbestos contractors and analysts to conduct a trial removal of a window at the weekend.

"During the removal process the air quality and the possibility of contamination was closely monitored. This strict testing reveals that no asbestos fibres are released during the removal of the windows.

"To eliminate any remaining doubt Morrison Construction will engage the services of a specialist asbestos removal contractor to remove the old windows."

Work to replace all the windows is scheduled to be completed by the time the school re-opens after the October holidays.

Kingussie High School opened in October 1970. It is one of 220 schools in the Highlands on the asbestos register because it was built pre-1985 before the ban on the use of the silcone based material in public buildings was put in place by the European Union.

Before the full heath dangers became known, asbestos was a popular building material because of its resistance to heat, electrical and chemical damage, sound absorption and tensile strength.

An estimated 4,000 people a year die from asbestos related diseases. Exposure to the substance is the biggest single cause of work-related deaths and the overall total is continuing to rise.

Large numbers of workers exposed to asbestos dust in the past decades have been developing mesothelioma, a terminal cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases.

Advice from the HSE is that if asbestos-containing material is in good condition and in a position where it cannot be disturbed or damaged, it is safer to leave it in situ and ensure that the risks are managed.

j.wilkins@sbherald.co.uk

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