About 3,500 tonnes of sand mixed with building materials was removed

Part of the Blue Flag beach between Flag Head Chine and Shore Road, Poole, was closed in January, after traces of white asbestos were found in cement.

The rubble was dumped on the 250-metre stretch of beach by building contractors, as part of a council programme to tackle beach erosion.

An inquiry is investigating whether the asbestos was illegally put there.

The town, which has won the coveted European Blue Flag status for the past 15 years, still hopes to pick up the award for clean water and environmental management this year.

A �35,000 clean-up operation by Poole Borough Council began at the end of January.

An excavator was used with trucks making about 10 to 15 visits to the site a day to remove debris.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency, which has begun investigating whether the toxic material was illegally dumped, said there was little danger to the environment.

The Dorset health protection unit also found the risk to human health was minimal, according to a Poole Borough Council spokesman.