Thieves who stole a double garage from a 150-year-old former country house stumbled through a layer of deadly asbestos, it has emerged.
Orchardbank House, tucked away on an industrial estate in Forfar, was the scene of the disappearance of the 60-section garage over a two-week period.
Council officials have been called to examine the remnants after it emerged the thieves broke large asbestos panels while dismantling the building.
The derelict house, built in 1864, is the property of Angus Council and workers discovered the theft on Thursday.
A council spokeswoman said: “We have made an assessment of the asbestos, which was scattered across the land and appointed the appropriate contractor to remove it.”
The European Union banned all use of asbestos as well as the extraction, manufacture and processing of asbestos products. The first diagnosis of asbestosis was made in the UK in 1924.
Britain regulated ventilation and made asbestosis an excusable work-related disease by the 1930s. The term mesothelioma was first used in medical literature in 1931 and its association with asbestos was first noted a decade later.
Police confirmed the prefab was the subject of an investigation.
“Between 9am on Tuesday May 28 and 11.35am on Thursday June 13, a prefabricated double garage was dismantled and stolen,” a spokeswoman said.
“A pair of 6ft ornate metal gates and four concrete paving slabs were also taken. It’s likely that whoever is responsible carried out the dismantling over a period of days.
“Officers are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen or heard anything suspicious in the area.”