The Health and Safety Executive says Stevenage Borough Council and Mulalley broke health and safety laws that led to damage to asbestos-containing material - Credit: Matt Endersby Health and safety laws have been broken by Stevenage Borough Council during an ongoing revamp of all its low and medium-rise flat blocks, an investigation has concluded. By law, asbestos must be removed from buildings under controlled conditions by specialists because exposure can cause cancers and other diseases. In video footage seen by the Comet, a workman begins using a chisel and hammer to remove a doorframe to an external landing cupboard at a flat in Scarborough Avenue - a cupboard labelled as containing asbestos.