Around 1,000 tonnes of sand mixed with building materials was dumped

A 250-metre section of the Blue Flag beach, between Flag Head Chine and Shore Road, has been cordoned off and closed to the public for the past week.

It follows the discovery of white asbestos in a piece of cement among discoloured sand and rubble, thought to have been dumped by a building contractor.

An investigation has begun into why the beach, which has been awarded European Blue Flag status for the past 15 years for its clean water and sound environmental management, was used.

'Fibres not released'

Over the next two to three weeks, an excavator will remove the discoloured sand, with trucks making about 10 to 15 visits to the site a day.

The rubble will then be checked by independent assessors for any further asbestos.

Parts of the promenade will be closed during the work.

Peter Pawlowski, head of Consumer Protection in the Borough of Poole, said: "The Environment Agency has approved the work and we will remain in close contact with them throughout.

"We also remain in close liaison with the Dorset Health Protection Unit who have advised that the risk associated with any of the asbestos found on the beach is very low.

"This is because there does not appear to be much asbestos present and what is there is in cement, which means the fibres will not be released into the air and the risk of breathing it in is therefore very low."