TOUGH new legislation to protect people from deadly asbestos dust will come at a cost to the owners of thousands of properties across York and North Yorkshire.

The bill to City of York Council for surveying its non-housing premises alone will come to almost a quarter of a million pounds.

Under the new rules, people responsible for the repair and maintenance of non-domestic premises now have a duty to discover if they contain asbestos material, and record the location and condition of such materials.

They must also pass on the information to anyone liable to disturb the asbestos, raising dust into the air which could later cause asbestos-related illnesses.

The law change comes after 50,000 people died in Britain from such illnesses over the 30 years up to 1998 - including scores of former York Carriageworks employees who were exposed to large quantities of asbestos dust in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s at the Holgate Road factory.

Government Minister Nick Brown said there was no medical intervention possible yet to help those already exposed.

"But we can certainly do much to prevent exposures today and prevent painful and prolonged illness and death in the future," he said.

Mr Brown said that without the new legislation, current asbestos levels could result in another 5,000 deaths over the next 50 years.

But the new legislation could mean a hefty bill for the owners of affected properties.

A report to City of York Council has revealed that the cost of surveying premises such as schools and offices is estimated at £236,850, phased over a five-year period. Extra money will be needed to survey the council's housing stock.

The report to the council's executive by principal environmental health officer Steve Adamthwaite said that the survey was "very much precautionary work to ensure that no one is placed at risk by the presence of asbestos in council-controlled buildings".

He said it was not anticipated that any asbestos in a dangerous condition would be found.

"The majority of asbestos will be in the form of asbestos insulation board, which is a material used widely in the building industry between 1955-1978 and which, if left undisturbed, does not pose any risk to health."

The HSE says it is giving owners of properties 18 months to comply with the new legislation, but it will be enforced by 2004.

Updated: 11:21 Thursday, December 19, 2002