DEMOLITION work on the former Edmund Wilson Pool in York has been halted following fears over asbestos at the site.

Officers from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited the Thanet Road building yesterday and initial demolition work was stopped shortly after.

The former council-owned site has been bought by German supermarket company Lidl, which has planning permission to build a shop once the former swimming baths have been knocked down.

A spokesman for the HSE said: “It was agreed by all parties involved that a voluntary cessation of work should take place while further surveys are made of the building prior to the planned demolition.”

The HSE visit came after the authority was contacted by former York councillor Howard Perry, a resident of nearby St James Place, who was concerned the correct procedures were not in place for asbestos removal.

He said a report made on behalf of City of York Council in 2004 assessing the asbestos risk at the site did not go far enough.

“I’m not pleased to see work stopped, but if there’s a danger there to local residents, most of whom are in their 70s and 80s, then that is a risk,” he said.

Leader of the Lib Dem group, Coun Andrew Waller said the report carried out by the council in 2004 was a Type II survey, which assessed asbestos risks in the normal operations of a building.

“When we sold the building we passed on those details to Lidl and they should have done their own Type III destruction survey,” he said.

“I think we took the appropriate steps at the time.”