Asbestos
Removal

Industrial Asbestos Roof Removal and Replacement

At a glance
We safely remove asbestos cement roofs and replace or over-roof them with modern, insulated metal roofing.
For factories, warehouses and commercial buildings across the UK, often while they stay open.
Request a survey or call 01223 782 085.

Cambridge Roof Exchange removes asbestos cement roofs from industrial and commercial buildings and replaces them with metal roofing built to last for decades. We bring sixty years of industrial roof refurbishment experience. We handle the whole job under one contract: survey review, planning, safe removal, waste disposal and a new watertight roof.

We are based in Cambridge and work across the UK. Our projects range from a five-week phased asbestos roof replacement in St Neots to a 22-week refurbishment of the 5,000 m² Sealed Air warehouse facility. Most of this work is carried out in live environments, with buildings staying open while we replace the roof above them.

Why replace an asbestos cement roof?

Asbestos cement sheeting was fitted to thousands of industrial buildings before it was banned in the UK in 1999. Most of those roofs are now past their design life: the sheets turn brittle, fixings rust through and leaks follow. Patching them means disturbing a hazardous material again and again without fixing the real problem.

A planned replacement deals with it once. You get a sound, insulated building that is easier to insure, let or sell. It is also the right first step before solar. For SRS Aromatics in Bury St Edmunds, we replaced the asbestos roof with a 130mm composite system and new rooflights, ready for future solar panels.

Signs your industrial roof needs attention

Most asbestos roofs give plenty of warning before they fail. Look out for:

• Water coming through at laps, fixings or ridges.
• Sheets that have cracked, sagged or lost their surface.
• Moss and lichen spreading across the roof.
• Rusted bolts and hooks holding the sheets down.
• Gutters clogged with debris from the sheets.
• Condensation dripping inside the building.
• Your insurer, landlord or tenant raising the condition of the roof.

If you recognise any of these, book a roof survey and we’ll tell you where you stand.

Our asbestos roof removal process

1. Survey and review. We visit the site and review the building’s asbestos refurbishment survey, which is required before any work disturbs the roof. HSE explains what it involves in HSG264 Asbestos: The survey guide. If you don’t have one, we can arrange it.
2. Planning. We produce a site-specific risk assessment and method statement covering access, edge protection, fragile roof controls, exclusion zones and the sequence of works.
3. Safe removal. Sheets are removed whole wherever possible to keep breakage and dust to a minimum. Fixings are cut rather than smashed, and sheets are dampened where needed and lowered to the ground under control, following the HSE good practice in Asbestos essentials task sheet a14.
4. Waste disposal. All asbestos waste is wrapped, sealed and labelled on site. A registered carrier takes it to a permitted disposal facility, in line with HSE’s guidance on disposal of asbestos waste, and you receive the consignment paperwork.
5. New roof installation. The new roof goes on in sections as the old one comes off, so the building is never left open longer than necessary. On our commercial roof replacement in Braintree, Essex, we used this approach to strip and replace an ageing asbestos roof over 11 weeks.
6. Handover. You receive a handover pack with the waste consignment records, product information and the guarantee for your new roof.

Asbestos roof removal or over-cladding?

Full removal is not always the best option. Where the asbestos cement sheets are intact and the structure underneath is sound, over-roofing can be quicker, cheaper and less disruptive. A new metal roof is fixed over the existing sheets on a spacer system, so the asbestos stays sealed beneath it and is never disturbed. The void between old and new can be filled with insulation to bring the building up to modern thermal standards.

For West Suffolk Council’s occupied industrial units in Haverhill, we installed a new 230mm built-up roof system over the existing asbestos cement roof while the tenants stayed in occupation. Only the asbestos parapet walls were removed, and they were replaced with new clad parapets. Read the Haverhill over-roofing case study, or see the contract award notice on Contracts Finder.

We assess every building on its merits and set out both options honestly, with the cost, programme and long-term implications of each. Request a survey to find out which suits your building.

Replacement roofing systems

We supply and install a full range of metal roofing and cladding systems. These include single skin profiled sheeting for unheated buildings, insulated composite panels for heated warehouses and workshops, and built-up systems where higher thermal or acoustic performance is needed. We also install to manufacturer specifications where a system guarantee is required.

At Units 20A and B in Mildenhall, we stripped the asbestos roof and installed composite sheeting with new rooflights in six weeks.

While the roof is open we can also replace rooflights, gutters, valley linings, downpipes, flashings and wall cladding, giving you a complete building envelope from one contractor. At Luton Ambulance Station, the asbestos roof strip and re-sheet was combined with gutter refurbishment and new wall cladding in a single programme.

Asbestos removal in live environments

One of our core strengths is working in live environments. Many of our clients run production lines, warehouses, distribution centres and public services that can’t stop while their roof is replaced. We plan every project around keeping your building open and your people safe.

Before work starts, we agree a programme with you that fits around your production, deliveries, shift patterns and peak periods. We set out exclusion zones, safe walkways and access routes together, and brief your staff on what to expect.

Works are phased so that only a small section of the roof is open at any time. Areas below the work face can be protected or temporarily cleared to keep stock, machinery and staff away from it. Where a particular area or process is sensitive, we can schedule the work above it for quieter times by agreement.

Throughout the project you’ll have a single point of contact who keeps you updated and gives you notice of anything that affects your operations. The Sealed Air warehouse in St Neots shows this at scale: asbestos removal, a new roof, gutters and rooflights across a 5,000 m² facility in one carefully sequenced programme. In Haverhill, we over-roofed occupied industrial units while the tenants carried on working beneath.

Safety, compliance and accreditations

All asbestos work is carried out under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 by trained operatives, following HSE’s Asbestos essentials guidance for non-licensed asbestos work. Work at height is planned under the Work at Height Regulations, with suitable access, edge protection and fall prevention on every job.

Cambridge Roof Exchange is an NFRC member, SafeContractor approved and CITB registered. We are certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.

Where we work

We are based in Cambridge and work across the UK, with most projects in East Anglia, including St Neots, Haverhill, Bury St Edmunds, Mildenhall, Ely and Newmarket. We also deliver further afield, from Braintree to Luton, as our case studies show.

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove asbestos cement roofing myself? On an industrial or commercial building, removing an asbestos roof involves work at height on a fragile surface, controlled handling of a hazardous material and regulated waste disposal. It should be planned and carried out by a competent contractor with trained operatives, a proper method statement and the right access equipment.

How do I know if my roof contains asbestos? Any fibre cement roof sheets fitted before 1999 should be treated as containing asbestos until a survey proves otherwise. The only way to be certain is to have samples analysed as part of an asbestos survey. Don’t drill, cut or jet-wash suspect sheets in the meantime.

Do I have to remove an asbestos roof? There is no general legal requirement to remove asbestos cement roofing that is in good condition. Owners and managers of non-domestic buildings do have a duty to manage the asbestos in them. Once the roof is deteriorating, leaking or needs work, replacement or over-roofing is usually the safest and most cost-effective option.

How long does an asbestos roof replacement take? It depends on the size of the building and how it is accessed. A smaller unit can take a few weeks, like our five-week phased replacement in St Neots. A large warehouse can take several months, like the 22-week Sealed Air project. We give you a programme with your proposal.

How much does asbestos roof removal cost? Every roof is different, so we price from a survey of your building. That gives you detailed costings for removal, over-roofing or both, rather than a guess.

Can my business keep operating during the works? In most cases, yes. We phase the work section by section and agree exclusion zones and timings with you in advance.

What happens to the asbestos waste? It is wrapped, sealed and labelled on site, then taken by a registered waste carrier to a permitted disposal facility. You receive the consignment notes for your records.

Request an asbestos roof survey

Have an asbestos roof that’s leaking, failing or due for replacement? Book a survey and we’ll give you a clear, no-obligation proposal for removal, over-roofing or both. Call 01223 782 085, email support@cre.me.uk, or request a survey online.