More like this
Truck dumps asbestos outside two childcare centres - video
Sydney police hunt driver of vehicle that spilled two tonnes of toxic material next to pre-school centres
POLICE in Sydney are hunting a truck driver who dumped more than two tonnes of raw asbestos outside two of the city's childcare centres.
Shocking CCTV footage of the incident shows the truck driving through the inner-city suburb of Ultimo with its tipping tray raised and its rear gate open. After the truck passes over a speed bump, the asbestos pours onto the street.
The vehicle’s numberplate was covered with a piece of cloth in an "apparent bid to avoid detection", says The Sydney Morning Herald.
The incident, which happened last December, triggered a three-month investigation to find the truck and its driver. But authorities have so far been unable to locate them and have now released the CCTV footage in a bid to involve the public.
Asbestos was widely used in construction and other industries in Australia between 1945 and 1980, and the country has had the highest number of asbestos-related deaths per capita of any nation. Dumping asbestos carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment and a $1 million fine for individuals and a $5 million fine for companies.
·
