'Thick' thieves have to be decontaminated after breaking into asbestos-riddled building

Three men have been branded “Britain’s thickest thieves” after breaking into a building riddled with asbestos.

The trio, who have now undergone decontamination, forced their way into the deserted post office in Ship Street, Brighton, at 1.30pm yesterday, ignoring health and safety signs warning them about the danger.

Police were called and themen were arrested but before they could be interviewed they had to be decontaminated to ensure asbestos particles were removed.

Traders condemned the thieves as fools, with Stuart Wilkie, of Brighton Lanes Traders stating: “Are these Britain’s thickest thieves?

“It is ludicrous. Going into the decontamination unit serves them right. It is poetic justice."

For the full story see today's Argus. 

Comments(51)

Nathan_Adler says...
1:08pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Three words. Ha ha and ha.

rolivan says...
1:16pm Sat 22 Sep 12

The thing is they might have to wait 30 years for their punishment.It is a horrible slow death.

Dr.Draconian says...
1:21pm Sat 22 Sep 12

I bet they will be suing the owners!

Maxwell's Ghost says...
1:23pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Oh dear, these guys will spend the rest of their lives shi**ing themselves because it only takes a few asbestos fibres to be inhaled to get deep into the lungs to cause cancer and the other serious lung diseases.

Ballroom Blitz says...
1:28pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Marvelous. Poetic justice.

rolivan says...
1:54pm Sat 22 Sep 12

I know there isn't a lot of difference but were they thieves or squatters seems a strange time to break into a place to steal but with the change in law maybe they were squatters.

ASBO academy inmate 2291D says...
2:00pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Seriously thick indeed.
But something doesn't seem quite right here. 'Building riddled with asbestos' - it only closed recently, what of the poor people working there for so many years, and the customers?

Why would 'health and safety signs' prevent a draft supplying particles to the surrounding area outside?
Do the asbestos particles just stay inside and obey the signs? Has someone with a clip-board and gnawed biro declared it safe as long as nobody opens the door or breaks wind nearby?

The asbestos in this building should not have been disturbed if it was not going to be treated and removed.

Far more entirely innocent people are exposed to asbestos each year. I hope these gooners face the full force of the law - and pay the £20 fine as soon as they receive their £1 million compensation.

campotolox says...
2:01pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Leave them alone,they were only doing as best as they can?

MuammarQaddafi says...
3:00pm Sat 22 Sep 12

I look forward to a movie version starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

minnie&teddy says...
3:13pm Sat 22 Sep 12

idiots plain and simple serves them right!!

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
3:32pm Sat 22 Sep 12

campotolox wrote:
Leave them alone,they were only doing as best as they can?
I would hope that they have to at the very least pay the costs associated with decontamination. Equally their medical files should be noted and treatment for any future issues only provided on a paid for basis, rather than NHS.

Surely not! says...
3:45pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Do you really wish asbestosis on to another person? Do you really think its poetic justice? I think if you do you should take a good long look at yourself.

campotolox says...
4:25pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Surely not mate it was supposed to be a joke,what are you on ,oh hang on you live in Brighton?

Surely not! says...
4:31pm Sat 22 Sep 12

campotolox wrote:
Surely not mate it was supposed to be a joke,what are you on ,oh hang on you live in Brighton?
I wasn't commenting on anything you said, as your comment made little sense to me.... but haha... very funny.

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
5:48pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Surely not! wrote:
campotolox wrote:
Surely not mate it was supposed to be a joke,what are you on ,oh hang on you live in Brighton?
I wasn't commenting on anything you said, as your comment made little sense to me.... but haha... very funny.
You seem like a fairly unusual duo. So its OK to commit crime and its OK to wish the worst on criminals is it?


You should sort yourselves out!

lorrie1 says...
6:15pm Sat 22 Sep 12

There was a big party in there last saturday, Not so funny now is it?

Flippin Burghers says...
6:38pm Sat 22 Sep 12

If I go to the Post Office will I catch asbestos too?

rolivan says...
6:42pm Sat 22 Sep 12

lorrie1 wrote:
There was a big party in there last saturday, Not so funny now is it?
If you walk on a live rail you will get electrocuted.If you walk across the road when the lights say not to, you will probably get run over if you enter a building that says danger keep out you will have to face the concequences.

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
9:01pm Sat 22 Sep 12

rolivan wrote:
lorrie1 wrote:
There was a big party in there last saturday, Not so funny now is it?
If you walk on a live rail you will get electrocuted.If you walk across the road when the lights say not to, you will probably get run over if you enter a building that says danger keep out you will have to face the concequences.
Great comments! The morale of the story is..................
............?

rolivan says...
10:49pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Somethingsarejustwro
ng
wrote:
rolivan wrote:
lorrie1 wrote:
There was a big party in there last saturday, Not so funny now is it?
If you walk on a live rail you will get electrocuted.If you walk across the road when the lights say not to, you will probably get run over if you enter a building that says danger keep out you will have to face the concequences.
Great comments! The morale of the story is..................

............?
Do as you are asked or face the concequences.

Roundbill says...
1:10am Sun 23 Sep 12

rolivan wrote:
Somethingsarejustwro

ng
wrote:
rolivan wrote:
lorrie1 wrote:
There was a big party in there last saturday, Not so funny now is it?
If you walk on a live rail you will get electrocuted.If you walk across the road when the lights say not to, you will probably get run over if you enter a building that says danger keep out you will have to face the concequences.
Great comments! The morale of the story is..................


............?
Do as you are asked or face the concequences.
That's pretty much what the Nazis said.
.
There, I've invoked Godwin's Law - now can we all go home?

sussexguy says...
8:14am Sun 23 Sep 12

What on earth has that got to do with the Nazis? Sorry, but these idiots deserve all they get, and we the taxpayers should not be paying towards their decontamination. In any case, what on earth were they planning to do once they got inside? Surely there is nothing left there for them to steal.

pebble counter says...
9:31am Sun 23 Sep 12

I'd like to know what sort of asbestos it is they were covered in. The dangerous stuff is blue asbestos. There's lots of grey asbestos about, it's in the roof of the building I work in, and probably around everyone else too in their daily lives. Since the advent of mad health and safety rules, all because of litigation rather than health and safety, people think you shrivel up and die the moment you see a bit of asbestos roofing.

Frank28 says...
10:10am Sun 23 Sep 12

If they've inhaled asbestos dust, the damage is already done. Asbestosis is probably the nastiest of diseases, if you've ever met anyone dying from it.

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
10:39am Sun 23 Sep 12

Regardless of what they may and may not now suffer from, we, the tax payers, should not incur any costs for their treatment, including that already provided.

Once again its the minority who don't contribute (even though the story doesn't tell us the profile of these people, we can be safe in our guessing) who create problems and cost for the rest of us, who do contribute.

Its time to stop this nonsense and we should start with the street drinking, homeless beggars and drive them off our streets......And before any do-gooder, turn the other cheek type, tries to speak up for them, I frankly don't care where they go, just so long as they go!

hubby says...
11:12am Sun 23 Sep 12

I used to use that Post Office.
I wish I had known that there was asbestos contamination!
Why wasn't I told?

gmgc81 says...
11:18am Sun 23 Sep 12

In the words of N.Mutz of Springfield USA: HA HA!

I doubt they can sue the owners of the building. If there were warning signs outside the building the idiots should be aware of the dangers. I have no sympathy for them. They've already condemned themselves to a death sentence, even if the UK doesn't actually have a death sentence.

jackyboy6789 says...
11:34am Sun 23 Sep 12

so why would thieves break into a derelict building, only last week it was a squat and since squatters rights got banned from residential buildings there are more people on the street, loads more than what the government think, 100's of thousands more, the point it there is nothing to steal in that building unless you want asbestos or some empty beer cans from a rave that was there last week with over 500 people there, im sure the so called thieves are not stealing anything, there trying to break in so them and their mates can sleep out of the rain today! i could say lots more to argue against this but it **** me off the fact the newspaper is writing wrongful information, i used to squat myself and if you dont earn over £800 a month you cant afford somewhere to live unless you go claim loads of benefits off the council and job center so whats all the fuss about squatting?

jackyboy6789 says...
11:45am Sun 23 Sep 12

Somethingsarejustwro
ng
wrote:
Regardless of what they may and may not now suffer from, we, the tax payers, should not incur any costs for their treatment, including that already provided.

Once again its the minority who don't contribute (even though the story doesn't tell us the profile of these people, we can be safe in our guessing) who create problems and cost for the rest of us, who do contribute.

Its time to stop this nonsense and we should start with the street drinking, homeless beggars and drive them off our streets......And before any do-gooder, turn the other cheek type, tries to speak up for them, I frankly don't care where they go, just so long as they go!
surely these people can leave the streets if they had somewhere to live, most people on the streets have reasons, and to me you sound like a stuck up posh **** lol, these people dont have family support and money in there pockets which has drove them to break down! those thieves weren't stealing anything they were trying to get in there to sleep out of the rain! so they sit in some old derelict building whilst your sat here on your iPad and iPhone 4s criticizing them about how they should go away.

jackyboy6789 says...
11:50am Sun 23 Sep 12

sussexguy wrote:
What on earth has that got to do with the Nazis? Sorry, but these idiots deserve all they get, and we the taxpayers should not be paying towards their decontamination. In any case, what on earth were they planning to do once they got inside? Surely there is nothing left there for them to steal.
well since squatters rights got banned from residentual building there are hundreds nearly thousands of people on the street, not what the council knows about, and thats because not all homeless people beg down west street. they wanted to get in that building so they could get out of the rain, just last week it got evicted as a squat. so either these people live in squats or on the streets or they claim hundreds of thousands pounds worth of housing benifits so they can get back on there feet and work again.

BlackRocker says...
11:51am Sun 23 Sep 12

jackyboy6789 wrote:
Somethingsarejustwro

ng
wrote:
Regardless of what they may and may not now suffer from, we, the tax payers, should not incur any costs for their treatment, including that already provided.

Once again its the minority who don't contribute (even though the story doesn't tell us the profile of these people, we can be safe in our guessing) who create problems and cost for the rest of us, who do contribute.

Its time to stop this nonsense and we should start with the street drinking, homeless beggars and drive them off our streets......And before any do-gooder, turn the other cheek type, tries to speak up for them, I frankly don't care where they go, just so long as they go!
surely these people can leave the streets if they had somewhere to live, most people on the streets have reasons, and to me you sound like a stuck up posh **** lol, these people dont have family support and money in there pockets which has drove them to break down! those thieves weren't stealing anything they were trying to get in there to sleep out of the rain! so they sit in some old derelict building whilst your sat here on your iPad and iPhone 4s criticizing them about how they should go away.
With your spelling, I can't help wondering if you have a job.

BlackRocker says...
11:55am Sun 23 Sep 12

hubby wrote:
I used to use that Post Office.
I wish I had known that there was asbestos contamination!
Why wasn't I told?
Remember, where there's blame there's a claim! I hope you're already taking legal advice. Idiot.

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
12:03pm Sun 23 Sep 12

jackyboy6789 wrote:
Somethingsarejustwro

ng
wrote:
Regardless of what they may and may not now suffer from, we, the tax payers, should not incur any costs for their treatment, including that already provided.

Once again its the minority who don't contribute (even though the story doesn't tell us the profile of these people, we can be safe in our guessing) who create problems and cost for the rest of us, who do contribute.

Its time to stop this nonsense and we should start with the street drinking, homeless beggars and drive them off our streets......And before any do-gooder, turn the other cheek type, tries to speak up for them, I frankly don't care where they go, just so long as they go!
surely these people can leave the streets if they had somewhere to live, most people on the streets have reasons, and to me you sound like a stuck up posh **** lol, these people dont have family support and money in there pockets which has drove them to break down! those thieves weren't stealing anything they were trying to get in there to sleep out of the rain! so they sit in some old derelict building whilst your sat here on your iPad and iPhone 4s criticizing them about how they should go away.
You don't have the first idea and its your sort that I'd like to see the back of. Go back to your birth place and stop trying to justify why what is clearly wrong is right.

If you and these people stopped investing in strong lager and cider and for some of this group drugs then this cash would support sensible levels of accommodation.

We all have a story to tell to justify things, its just that some are valid and yours and your chums are not.

Now jog on!

Hove Ex-Pat says...
12:22pm Sun 23 Sep 12

Modern day justification for that old phrase, "Thick as thieves".

NickBrt says...
4:49pm Sun 23 Sep 12

Has Caroline Lucas rushed to their aid checking they have all help they need as well as copious amounts of legal advice to enable them to sue the owners for this contamination and to sue the person who branded them thick, which surely must be a breach of their human rights for which Dr Lucas will be recommending they seek compensation?

rolivan says...
5:03pm Sun 23 Sep 12

If there is such a problem with homelessness the easy solution would be to let them have some shipping containers to sleep in and put them out at Horsedean.

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
6:34pm Sun 23 Sep 12

rolivan wrote:
If there is such a problem with homelessness the easy solution would be to let them have some shipping containers to sleep in and put them out at Horsedean.
Sounds like a plan, or better still drop them on a large container ship and use the vast amount of funds saved in Brighton to pay the captain to stay well out at sea.

Artificial says...
7:09pm Sun 23 Sep 12

NickBrt wrote:
Has Caroline Lucas rushed to their aid checking they have all help they need as well as copious amounts of legal advice to enable them to sue the owners for this contamination and to sue the person who branded them thick, which surely must be a breach of their human rights for which Dr Lucas will be recommending they seek compensation?
Why did you feel the need to write that? This story has no relevance to Caroline Lucas. Your comment just makes you look pathetic.

Why not blame Thatcher like everyone else ;-D

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
7:43pm Sun 23 Sep 12

Artificial wrote:
NickBrt wrote:
Has Caroline Lucas rushed to their aid checking they have all help they need as well as copious amounts of legal advice to enable them to sue the owners for this contamination and to sue the person who branded them thick, which surely must be a breach of their human rights for which Dr Lucas will be recommending they seek compensation?
Why did you feel the need to write that? This story has no relevance to Caroline Lucas. Your comment just makes you look pathetic.

Why not blame Thatcher like everyone else ;-D
Why did you feel the need to write that? This story has no relevance to Margaret Thatcher. Your comment just makes you look pathetic and you only have yourself to blame!

Artificial says...
8:03pm Sun 23 Sep 12

Somethingsarejustwro
ng
wrote:
Artificial wrote:
NickBrt wrote:
Has Caroline Lucas rushed to their aid checking they have all help they need as well as copious amounts of legal advice to enable them to sue the owners for this contamination and to sue the person who branded them thick, which surely must be a breach of their human rights for which Dr Lucas will be recommending they seek compensation?
Why did you feel the need to write that? This story has no relevance to Caroline Lucas. Your comment just makes you look pathetic.

Why not blame Thatcher like everyone else ;-D
Why did you feel the need to write that? This story has no relevance to Margaret Thatcher. Your comment just makes you look pathetic and you only have yourself to blame!
Exactly

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
8:08pm Sun 23 Sep 12

Artificial wrote:
Somethingsarejustwro

ng
wrote:
Artificial wrote:
NickBrt wrote:
Has Caroline Lucas rushed to their aid checking they have all help they need as well as copious amounts of legal advice to enable them to sue the owners for this contamination and to sue the person who branded them thick, which surely must be a breach of their human rights for which Dr Lucas will be recommending they seek compensation?
Why did you feel the need to write that? This story has no relevance to Caroline Lucas. Your comment just makes you look pathetic.

Why not blame Thatcher like everyone else ;-D
Why did you feel the need to write that? This story has no relevance to Margaret Thatcher. Your comment just makes you look pathetic and you only have yourself to blame!
Exactly
Artificial - I am pleased that you have reflected on your inane and irrelevant comment and agree with my feedback.

That said your acknowledgement only serves to make you look even more pathetic.

chacharoo says...
4:21pm Mon 24 Sep 12

It's worth talking to people who know what happened rather than blathering on about what 'may' have happened and laying the blame at the wrong people's feet. People did live in that building; some were sleeping or going about their business. The asbestos was safely covered in the walls as it is in many buildings. These idiots came in with sledgehammers and power tools to dismantle as much as the could for scrap- radiators etc, and were smashing walls down while the people that were living there were still there. There's your story.

hannover seagull says...
4:49pm Mon 24 Sep 12

Roundbill wrote:
rolivan wrote:
Somethingsarejustwro


ng
wrote:
rolivan wrote:
lorrie1 wrote:
There was a big party in there last saturday, Not so funny now is it?
If you walk on a live rail you will get electrocuted.If you walk across the road when the lights say not to, you will probably get run over if you enter a building that says danger keep out you will have to face the concequences.
Great comments! The morale of the story is..................



............?
Do as you are asked or face the concequences.
That's pretty much what the Nazis said.
.
There, I've invoked Godwin's Law - now can we all go home?
Can´t remember the Nazis putting up polite Public Safety notices as is the case here

What a ridiculous analogy

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
7:56pm Mon 24 Sep 12

chacharoo wrote:
It's worth talking to people who know what happened rather than blathering on about what 'may' have happened and laying the blame at the wrong people's feet. People did live in that building; some were sleeping or going about their business. The asbestos was safely covered in the walls as it is in many buildings. These idiots came in with sledgehammers and power tools to dismantle as much as the could for scrap- radiators etc, and were smashing walls down while the people that were living there were still there. There's your story.
What a confusing update, although it does sound interesting.

Would you mind clarifying who was doing what and why please?

chacharoo says...
8:39pm Mon 24 Sep 12

why confusing? The place is a known squat, people live there. These guys came in, they had a truck outside to carry away the stuff so were there with the intention to get scrap metal I assume. Some are known as squatters themselves, though they very much upset the people lving there.

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
9:31pm Mon 24 Sep 12

chacharoo wrote:
why confusing? The place is a known squat, people live there. These guys came in, they had a truck outside to carry away the stuff so were there with the intention to get scrap metal I assume. Some are known as squatters themselves, though they very much upset the people lving there.
Ah, so the 3 people arrested were squatters in the process of stripping assets from the property; thanks for clarifying.

Lucky the legislation has been passed and here's looking to a future where these parasites are systematically identified and dealt with.

NickBrt says...
10:05am Tue 25 Sep 12

Dear aptly-named Artificial. The connection with Dr Cl is that is exactly what she did with Occupy.

chacharoo says...
9:17pm Tue 25 Sep 12

Somethingsarejustwro
ng
wrote:
chacharoo wrote: why confusing? The place is a known squat, people live there. These guys came in, they had a truck outside to carry away the stuff so were there with the intention to get scrap metal I assume. Some are known as squatters themselves, though they very much upset the people lving there.
Ah, so the 3 people arrested were squatters in the process of stripping assets from the property; thanks for clarifying. Lucky the legislation has been passed and here's looking to a future where these parasites are systematically identified and dealt with.
Oh I'm sorry I tried to give a reasonable answer, I hadn't realised you were an idiot, my mistake.

Somethingsarejustwrong says...
7:12pm Wed 26 Sep 12

chacharoo wrote:
Somethingsarejustwro

ng
wrote:
chacharoo wrote: why confusing? The place is a known squat, people live there. These guys came in, they had a truck outside to carry away the stuff so were there with the intention to get scrap metal I assume. Some are known as squatters themselves, though they very much upset the people lving there.
Ah, so the 3 people arrested were squatters in the process of stripping assets from the property; thanks for clarifying. Lucky the legislation has been passed and here's looking to a future where these parasites are systematically identified and dealt with.
Oh I'm sorry I tried to give a reasonable answer, I hadn't realised you were an idiot, my mistake.
You did give a reasonable answer and you will note I thanked you for clarifying for me.

What I then went on to do, was summarize how the new legislation will eradicate this minority group who cause so much nuisance and incur costs for others.

I find it strange that you should refer to me as an idiot when all I have done is reflect the sentiments of the vast majority of the good people of Brighton.

chacharoo says...
8:47pm Wed 26 Sep 12

The new legislation is for residential properties, and would not apply here. I do not wish to argue with you as you obviously know nothing about people who live on the street and their problems. I do not think they should be referred to as parasites.

ravin.scotsman says...
11:20pm Fri 28 Sep 12

i would like 2 say that on the 23rd building inspectors passed the lower part of the building as being safe from asbestos. if the argus were 2 do their job properly then they would know this, again this is another case of the tabliods doing as they please and not as they should. and lets not 4get the 3 that got nicked were actually innocent bystanders. again the argus has got it wrong, nothing new there then:)

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