Rogue trader who ran 'Asbestos Boss' jailed

A 'rogue trader' whose firm ripped out asbestos from a garage in Stockport before dumping it in the street has been jailed after it was discovered they never had a licence to do such work and had falsified documents.

Asbestos Boss Ltd were brought in by a resident to remove the asbestos insulating board from the internal garage at their property in September 2021. However, the material was then dumped at the property from where it had been taken, 'littering' the road and pavement with asbestos.

An investigation was launched which established the firm, run by manager/director Daniel Luke Cockcroft, had never held a licence to remove asbestos - despite advertising that they did.

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The probe by Stockport Council Trading Standards and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found a number of similar cases across the country involving the firm, where 'little to no precautions' had been taken.

These included the removal of asbestos insulating board from 20 riser cupboards for which Asbestos Boss charged £3,000 for their illegal work. The work was of such poor quality, prosecutors said the site owners were quoted up to £64,000 to put it right.

Council chiefs said 'their poor working practices resulted in the large scale spread of asbestos and exposure to homeowners and their families' and that by doing such work himself Cockcroft had 'chanced his own life.'

It was also discovered during the investigation that the firm had falsified asbestos training certificates and insurance documents. and that they, and Cockcroft, had breached a prohibition notice on several occasions.

Stockport Trading Standards brought charges of fraud by false