TWO Harrow primary schools are still failing to meet standards maintaining asbestos months after health and safety issues in their buildings emerged.

Vaughan First and Middle School, in West Harrow, and Norbury First and Middle School, in the town centre, were told they did not meet standards by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on June 30.

They had the whole summer holiday to fix the problems but have still had to ask the organisation for more time to complete building work and paper work to ensure their sites meet requirements.

The HSE said no one has yet been exposed to harm but if the two schools fail to meet the new deadlines they could face legal action from the body.

Hank Roberts, junior vice-president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: “If that happens that will be disgraceful. Asbestos, as everyone knows, is a killer.”

He said organisations who face legal action over failures to maintain the substance should face hefty fines.

The HSE conducted surveys of asbestos, which can cause cancer, in buildings across the country and only ten were issued with warnings, known as “enforcement notices”.

Harrow is one of just three London boroughs included on the list.

Rosalind Roberts, head of HSE’s public services sector, said: “Those responsible for managing asbestos must be properly trained and management plans which set out the measures to be taken to manage the risks must be in place and readily available.

“If asbestos is properly managed, remains undamaged and undisturbed then its presence alone should not be a cause for concern. “However, there is no room for complacency; managing asbestos in buildings needs effective and ongoing attention.”

She said tradesmen are most at risk.

Councillor Bill Stephenson, leader of Harrow Council, said: “The safety of children and staff in our schools is paramount and we are taking immediate action in line with notices from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).

“We do have sound systems in place to deal with asbestos in schools but the HSE want us to tighten them up in certain areas, in particular through additional training for managers and staff, to make sure they follow the right procedures.

“We need to make sure that we do this on a regular basis. We will be working closely with the HSE to make sure we meet the necessary standards.”