The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers to correctly manage the risks associated with asbestos after it prosecuted two Essex-based firms.

R Maskell of Loughton had been carrying out refurbishment work in Ipswich during 2005 when its workers discovered asbestos.

The firm subcontracted the asbestos removal to LCH Contracts.

However, when the HSE carried out an inspection, it was concerned that the material – exposure to which can cause a cancer called mesothelioma – had not been properly removed.

Its inspectors ordered work to cease in the building. R Maskell has now been fined £150,000 with court costs of £30,000, while LCH received a fine of £70,000 plus £13,821 costs.

HSE inspector Nicola Surrey said the prosecutions could easily have been avoided and that the case should act as a lesson to other employers.

"The HSE will not hesitate to take action against those who fall short of the law in such a way," she said, adding that asbestos must be properly managed to prevent people dying from diseases related to the substance in the future.

"If you are responsible for managing the maintenance and repair of a building, you must manage any asbestos in it," she commented.

The family of anyone who has died from mesothelioma could be eligible to seek damages for professional negligence against the company where they were exposed to asbestos.