WORKERS refurbishing a pub were exposed to asbestos after a company failed to carry out a proper survey, a court heard.

Pub operator Mitchells and Butlers (M&B) was fined £14,001 yesterday after three electricians and two plumbers were put at risk of inhaling the deadly fibres at the White Horse, Darlington, in 2007.

Bishop Auckland Magistrates’ Court heard the company was revamping the vacant Harrowgate Hill pub, but breached health and safety regulations.

Jenny McMahon, prosecuting for the Health and Safety Executive, said M&B commissioned a survey that June which covered a limited area of the building. The revamp plans were then amended to include the kitchen.

In October, the workers used power tools to drill ceiling tiles that contained asbestos to install electrics and plumbing.

Mrs Mahon said dust and debris covered their faces and clothing, with the garments taken back to the workers’ homes.

Mrs Mahon said: “This was one of the more dangerous and extremely harmful fibres, which can cause a number of serious or fatal conditions, including lung cancer or mesothelioma.”

She said 4,000 people die each year from asbestos-related conditions, and symptoms could take 15 to 60 years to appear.

The company, based in Birmingham, admitted failing to undertake a proper assessment and putting people at risk of exposure to asbestos.

The company was also ordered to pay costs of £11,781.

Tim Hill, for M&B, said the company apologised unreservedly, and accepted it should have done more.

He said measures were in place to ensure there was no repeat of the incident.

Jonathan Cook, 38, from Cleethorpes, was one of the workers affected.

Speaking after the hearing, he said: “Because the effects of asbestos take a long time to show up, the worry of whether the asbestos has caused lasting damage to my health will stay with me for years. It is a huge worry for my partner also, as there is a chance that she might have been exposed to fibres that were brought home on my work clothes.”