Asbestos checks for factory staff

Blue asbestos has been found at the Omni-Pac factory

Hundreds of people who have worked at a Norfolk factory are to be tested for asbestos-related diseases.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) say they are concerned that staff at Omni-Pac in Great Yarmouth might have been exposed to asbestos fibres.

The plant, which makes egg cartons, is one of the town's biggest employers.

The factory in South Denes was closed on 27 October when the HSE was alerted to a possible problem with materials containing asbestos.

Officers drafted in to survey the factory have found some blue asbestos, which is considered to be the most dangerous of the three varieties of the mineral.

Special helpline

Inspectors found the blue asbestos had been disturbed, which makes it more of a risk to health.

Now medical teams are being drafted in to check the health of all the factory's current 200 workers.

A special helpline has been set up for concerned staff.

Occupational health specialists North Sea Medical Centre in Gorleston have been called in to conduct the tests.

Workers will be paid until the end of next week

The Transport and General Workers' Union, which is helping to track down former workers at the factory, is holding a meeting for staff in Great Yarmouth on Sunday.

The workforce is being paid until the end of next week.

On Saturday the company refused to confirm whether they would be paid after that.

The operation to remove the material is carrying on 24 hours a day but until the extent of the problem is discovered, it is not known how long it will take.