Schools and councils are are doing too little to tackle asbestos hazards, a minister has admitted.

Some were flouting rules on checking for and removing the deadly material, schools minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry told MPs.

She said:” It might be that not all are taking their responsibilities as seriously as they should.

“It is not an option for local authorities and school employers not to comply.”

Asbestos has been found in 1, 499 of 1, 606 schools in Kent, Surrey and Sussex - underlining the importance of the Mirror’s Asbestos Timebomb campaign.

Lib Dem MP Paul Rowen called the issue a “ticking timebomb” and called for a national research centre - another of our demands.

He said: “It’s unsatisfactory that facts about asbestos in schools have to be revealed by newspapers, TV and Freedom of Information requests.”

Mirror.co.uk - 30.03.09