14/05/2026
Asbestos has been found in play sand at a council-run nursery.
Tests on sand at Whitley Lodge in Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, found it to be contaminated with a type of asbestos called chrysotile, while Beacon Hill School in Wallsend has been closed for the rest of the week for more testing.
The government announcement on Wednesday it was aware some UK products contained "sand contaminated with asbestos" and they were being recalled by the businesses which sold them.