Portland's fire updates

This page was last updated 15:53 on 30 October 2025

A specialist heritage survey has recommended that the chimney on the eastern side of the fire-damaged Portlands building on Factory Road should be reduced down to the level of the rest of the remains of the building

This work is due to take place on Saturday.

It will be carried out by experienced contractors who will be on site from 9am and will be putting in place all necessary measures to prevent disturbance of the remaining debris on site, including damping down of dust to prevent its spread.

However, if you do have any concerns during the works, please do call us on 01474 337000

We anticipate the works will be completed by early afternoon.

Household recycling will be collected as normal tomorrow, following the lifting of the road closure at the junction of High Street and Lawn Road.

Also, with tomorrow being hallowe’en, there is no reason why children cannot trick or treat on Factory Road.

In the unlikely event that you find any debris from the earlier fire, please do not touch it, and call us on 01474 337000 and we will arrange for it to be removed.

Please also continue to respect the remaining road closure on the High Street and the southern end of Factory Road, and the safety fencing around the fire-damaged building.

A letter has been sent to residents regarding the fire.

Questions and answers about asbestos

What is asbestos containing material?

In older buildings asbestos was often used as a component of building materials, such as roofing panels, installation board and floor tiles.

When material contains a proportion of asbestos it is usually described as an asbestos containing material. The majority of asbestos fibres are held tightly within the asbestos containing material and are trapped within the cement

What are the health risks associated with asbestos containing material?

During the fire visible fragments of asbestos containing material were carried in the smoke plume and may have been deposited on nearby properties, gardens and streets. As the majority of asbestos fibres are held tightly within the asbestos containing material they are not released into the air and this minimises the health risk.

If this material however is handled, crumbles or is broken up and there is a chance that fibres are released in the air. It is only breathing in asbestos fibres that present a health risk.

For this reason, it is best not to handle the fragments yourself in case they break up in the process, but to leave this to specialists.

I have debris from the fire on my property, what should I do?

If you find ash and debris from the fire on your property you are advised to leave it alone and to contact us so that decontamination can be arranged.

If there is evidence of debris in the garden you should avoid disturbing the material, for example do not mow the lawn until it has been cleared up and removed

When I handled some debris which landed in my garden, I think I may have breathed in some dust. What should I do?

If you have breathed in dust, it is likely to be in a relatively small amount. This single short-term exposure should not significantly affect your health.

Asbestos is present in small quantities in both urban and rural air in the UK and so we are all breathing in small amounts of asbestos fibres over our lifetimes. The amount you may have breathed in from this one fire is likely to be insignificant in comparison with our overall background exposure during the course of our lives.

If there is no risk from the debris, why do the decontamination teams wear full protective clothing?

The decontamination operation will be done by specially trained staff. As there is the possibility that they will be exposed to asbestos dust on more than one occasion during decontamination procedures, their total exposure can be much higher than that of members of the public.

For this reason, they are required to wear protective equipment, such as dust masks and overalls, to minimise any potential intake of asbestos.

I have trodden on some asbestos containing material on my shoes and it is now in my carpet, what should I do?

The carpet will need to be cleaned by specialists. Do not attempt to sweep or vacuum up the debris as this will only create or spread any dust.

Your house contents insurer may also be able to assist.

I have some dust and debris from the fire on my clothing, what should I do?

Clothing covered with visible dust or debris can be double bagged and sealed and you can either call us on 01474 337000 to arrange for us to collect it, or you can take it to Pepperhill Household Waste Recycling Centre, DA13 9PA. 

Please book a slot online at kent.gov.uk before visiting the site and speak to one of the staff on arrival so your items can be disposed of correctly in the designated container. 

I have heard breathing in asbestos can cause cancer, can you tell me more in relation to this fire?

It is important to reiterate that asbestos fibres were not released into the air unless the ACM is severely damaged or mishandled. This is why it is important to not handle the asbestos containing material from the fire yourself and to let any debris be removed by those that have been trained to do so.

To encounter any long-term health effects from asbestos, a direct exposure by inhaling asbestos fibres would have needed to have taken place over a long period of time.

There is evidence to show that breathing in large quantities of asbestos over a long period of time (such as in an occupational setting) mainly affects the lungs and in some cases it can cause a cancer of the lining of the lung called Mesothelioma; it can also cause lung cancer. For this fire, Public Health Practitioners from UK Health Security Agency and the Local Authority Public Health team have offered reassurance to local residents that this fire will present a low risk to public health in the long term.

However, if you do have any questions then you should seek advice from your GP or NHS 111 as appropriate.