TEACHERS have called for the removal of asbestos from East Lancashire schools after it was revealed the substance is contained in hundreds of council-owned buildings.

More than 250 schools as well as dozens of town halls, community centres, public toilets and leisure facilities have been logged as having some form of the material.

Union bosses are now urging the Government to remove the asbestos, saying it should not “take chances with people’s lives”.

There are three main types of asbestos, blue, brown, and white, and all can be hazardous if particles are breathed in.

Exposure to the subst-ance when disturbed has been proven to cause mesothelioma, a potentially fatal form of cancer, which effects the lungs.

However as long as asbestos is in good condition and is not being, or going to be, disturbed or damaged, experts say there is no risk.

National Union of Teachers national executive member Simon Jones, who represents East Lancashire, said: “The only safe policy is complete removal.

"You can’t take chances with people’s lives, so whatever the cost, it has to be met. The Government has now conceded and accepted that.”

The list of buildings, revealed under a freedom of in formation investiga-tion, shows that 55 out of 73 schools in Blackburn and Darwen contain asbestos.

In Burnley, Pendle, Rossendale, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley, 213 schools have the poten-tially deadly material.

About 13,000 of the country’s 25,000 schools were built between 1945 and 1974 when asbestos use was at a peak.

Many were refurbished using asbestos in ceilings, wall linings and lagging pipes.

Some are now being transformed as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Latest figures show that between 1980 and 2005, at least 178 teachers died from cancer caused by asbestos.

Gordon Brown has ordered education ministers to find out what local authorities are doing to deal with asbestos in schools.

Stephen Costello, director of property for Lancashire County Council, said: “The asbestos contained in Lancashire County Council buildings poses no risk whatsoever if properly managed.”