Asbestos guttering, cladding and cement sheet removal
Guttering, downpipes, wall cladding, flat panels and flues are usually the same cement sheet material in a different shape. We treat them as one job rather than three, take down what needs to come down, and carry it away.
- Over 12 years in asbestos removal
- Qualified & insured
- HSE Compliant
- Most jobs completed within a day
One material, several shapes
- Cement guttering and downpipes, the grey or discoloured half-round or square profile.
- Flat cladding panels on walls, gable ends and outbuildings, covered in more depth on the cladding page if that is the bigger part of your job.
- Corrugated or flat cement roofing panels not already covered on the garage roof page.
- Cement flues and ducts, which get a page of their own, asbestos flue removal, for anyone dealing with one specifically rather than as part of a wider job.
- Anything already cracked, broken or taken down and stacked, which is a collection rather than a removal.
How it actually comes down
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01
We look first
A photo usually tells us the material, how much there is, and how we will reach it.
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02
Handled whole
Unbolted or unclipped and taken down in one piece rather than snapped or dropped. HSE's own guidance on asbestos cement treats careful handling, cleaning, drilling a hole, taking a sheet down whole, as work we can do. Breaking it up is what turns a straightforward job into a much bigger one.
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03
Wrapped on the ground
Double-wrapped and labelled before anything is carried anywhere.
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04
Loaded by hand
Carried to the van rather than tipped in.
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05
Paperwork follows
The waste goes to a facility licensed to take it, and your consignment note follows by email.
Source: HSE, asbestos: locations and identifying the correct action, checked 13 Sep 2026.
Taking it down is not the only option
Leave it where it is
Cement sheet in good condition, not cracked and not being drilled or broken, is not an emergency. If it is sound and nobody is about to disturb it, doing nothing is often the safest and cheapest answer, and we will tell you that.
Clad over it
New guttering or cladding can sometimes be fitted straight over sound cement sheet rather than taking the old material off first. It costs less than removal and puts off the decision rather than forcing it, though it does not get rid of what is underneath.
Take it off
Worth doing when panels are cracked or shedding, when a building is coming down anyway, or when other work needs to start where the sheet currently is.
We do not fit the new material
We take the old cement away. If you want new guttering, cladding or panels fitted afterwards, that is a different trade, and we would rather say so than take the job and hand it to someone else behind your back.
What actually changes the price
We are not going to print a number we cannot stand behind. A run of guttering and a full wall of cladding are different jobs, and these are the things that decide where a given job actually sits.
- How much there is. A length of guttering is a different job from a full wall of cladding.
- Whether it is whole or already in pieces.
- Height and access. A flue at roof level is a different job from a gutter at head height.
- Whether any of it passes through or is reached from a loft, which changes what happens next.
Whole, careful and looked at first
Worth knowing
Handled whole, never dropped
Careful handling of asbestos cement, cleaning it, drilling a hole, taking it down in one piece, is the job we do. Significant break-up and deterioration, dropping a sheet rather than lowering it, is exactly what we avoid by taking panels down whole rather than the fastest way we can.
Worth knowing
Flues and anything reached from a loft
A flue that runs up through a loft, or any cement sheet we can only reach from inside one, gets the same treatment as a loft anywhere else on this site: cement and asbestos insulating board look identical up there, so we come and look before we price it. More on asbestos removal generally.
What people ask us
What does asbestos guttering look like?
Grey or brownish-grey, often mottled with age, in a half-round or square profile, and more brittle than modern plastic guttering. That look is a clue, not proof: only a test confirms it for certain.
Can asbestos be found in plastic guttering?
No. Plastic guttering fitted since the material was phased out does not contain asbestos. What is worth checking is whether an older cement run is hidden behind or was replaced by a plastic one fitted later, rather than assuming from what you can see at the front.
How do you dispose of asbestos guttering?
Once it is down it is hazardous waste. It cannot go in a skip or your household bin, and in Essex and Thurrock it cannot go to the tip either. See how disposal actually works.
How much does it cost to remove asbestos cladding?
We quote per job rather than off a price list, because access and area change the price more than the material does. Send a photo and a postcode and you will get a real number back.
Is asbestos cement sheet safe?
If it is intact and not being drilled, cut or broken, the fibres are bound into the cement and it is not releasing anything. What changes that is damage or disturbance, not simply its presence.
What should I do if an asbestos cement sheet breaks?
Keep people and pets away from the area. Do not sweep or brush the debris, that lifts fibres into the air, and get in touch rather than clearing it yourself.
Guttering and cladding across the south east
We are based in Grays and most of our work is within an hour of it.
Further out than that? Ask anyway.
Tell us what you have found
A photo, a postcode and a phone number is enough to start. If you would rather talk it through, call and you will get someone who has done this before.