An investigation is to be launched this morning after a number of Police Officers became ill while asbestos tiles were being removed from the force headquarters, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott, after being informed by the newspaper, said he would be launching an inquiry at the first opportunity today to find out how the officers had been contaminated by chemical solvents.

Mr. Scott's Ministry hired a private contractor to remove asbestos tiles from the McBeath Block at Prospect, starting on Monday of this week. However, on Wednesday, there were several reports of noxious fumes and strong odours floating around the area, which were believed to have originated from the chemical solvents used to remove the asbestos.

Several officers, thought to be around 12 in total, were taken to the emergency department of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital yesterday suffering from sore throats and general discomfort and unease.

They were all treated and then released, but told to continue flushing out their throats with fluids to ensure all traces of the chemicals were removed.

Asbestos scare And as a precautionary measure, staff in several adjoining departments and barracks have been notified and asked to vacate the area. Health & Safety and Environmental Officers were immediately brought in to establish a safety zone at Prospect and assess the situation.

Police have since been told that the chemical solvents were responsible, and that their effects are short-term and not considered serious.

The Royal Gazette contacted Police after it was tipped off about the asbestos scare last night. A Police spokeswoman later said: "Police can confirm that a private contractor hired by Works and Engineering has been removing asbestos floor tiles from an unoccupied room in the McBeath Block in Prospect.

"Several officers reported sore throats and general malaise and were sent to the hospital for assessment.

"The contractor has assured Police there were no asbestos particles dispersed in the air.

"Staff, however, will be required to remain out of the immediate area until the removal process has been completed.'' The spokeswoman said alternative office accommodation had been found on the Prospect site for those officers to work from.

And she said the officers who were sick yesterday were expected to be back to work as normal today. She added: "The work should be complete within a couple of days. So, we are still requesting officers remain out of those departments near to where this process is going on.

"The effects of the chemical solvents are short-term and not considered serious.'' However, last night Mr. Scott said he was shocked to hear of the incident and would immediately launch an investigation to find out why the officers had been allowed to continue working in the area surrounding the block.

Although they were not working directly in the empty McBeath Block, which is an unoccupied quadrangle that contains a number of offices, they were in adjacent buildings.

The Minister said: "I am going to have the architect from the department give me a full report as to how this happened, why it happened, and what steps have been taken to ensure it doesn't happen again.

"I am also going to inquire about the health of these officers. I hope they are OK.

HEALTH HTH