Arthur Pitcher flouted established procedures by not applying to the Planning Department for a permit before he began demolishing asbestos-ridden buildings in Southside, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

A Government Information Services spokesman confirmed the Progressive Labour Party MP did not apply to Planning prior to demolition of buildings at Texas Road, where he has a contract to build 20 low-cost houses for Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC).

The spokesman said it was not a legal requirement to have a permit because the buildings were more than 25 feet from a road, but it was established practice, understood by all contractors, that a permit was needed when asbestos was involved. He added that permission was required by the Department of Health for demolition work involving asbestos.

The spokesman later said questions about whether Mr. Pitcher applied for a permit from the Health Department before he began work had to be directed to Health Minister Nelson Bascome. Mr. Bascome said last night he would be making a full statement to the House of Assembly on Friday when all the questions would be answered.

The United Bermuda Party has called for a full independent inquiry into the demolition because of fears for the health of residents in St. David's, and possibly a wider area, from the cancer-causing asbestos.

Yesterday, The Royal Gazette revealed claims by Stella Burchall that her 17-year-old grandson Anthony Burchall worked on the contaminated buildings without any protection.

Meanwhile, an asbestos expert brought in at a later date to treat the asbestos after Mr. Pitcher was ordered to stop has contradicted many statements made by the MP.

Mr. Pitcher said in yesterday's Gazette his workers had only removed windows and walls from the buildings but left ceilings and floors.

But the expert, working with a firm brought in after an environmental health officer ordered Mr. Pitcher's team to stop work, told the Gazette that several complete buildings were demolished by the MP's workers by the time he was called in.

He added that uncovered trucks had taken away asbestos and other waste -- a claim denied by Mr. Pitcher.

Pitcher flouted procedures -- GIS The expert also confirmed yesterday's Royal Gazette story that young workers employed by Mr. Pitcher had no safety equipment when they were dismantling the contaminated buildings.

Mr. Pitcher said masks were available to the workers but implied it was up to them to choose to use them.

The asbestos expert refused to be named but said he would be identified if Mr.

Pitcher denied his claims.

A GIS spokesman said yesterday: "Mr. Pitcher did not obtain a permit from the Planning Department for demolition. Legally, he doesn't need one if the building is further than 25 feet from a public road.

"But having said that, it has been standard practice for years and years, understood by contractors, that if you are going to demolish a building with asbestos you have to apply for a permit because contractors also need to get one from the Department of Health, and that is Planning's way of knowing the contractors had done that. In this case there was no request at all.'' The asbestos expert said yesterday that Mr. Pitcher, who has the contract to build low cost houses on the site, sub-contracted the demolition work to Island Construction, but that he supervised the work.

When an environmental health officer ordered work to stop, the expert's company was called in to remove the asbestos.

The expert said: "Some of those buildings were demolished before we got the call to go in. When we arrived, several buildings had been completely demolished, top to bottom, and debris from the demolition had already been trucked out.

"We brought to their attention that there was asbestos on the ground, black crystals and floor tiles. Some of his guys were trying to clean up the asbestos once we brought it to their attention. They weren't even wearing suits. They had regular clothing and no masks. I don't care what Arthur Pitcher says, I know what I saw. There were uncovered trucks going out there, supervised by Arthur Pitcher, carrying asbestos. "In the whole base lands, for any demolition, there must be asbestos abatement.

"Even people who contract jobs out to people know the buildings have to be checked for asbestos abatement. But is doesn't matter whether they were marked or not, the company that gave Mr. Pitcher the job I'm sure knew that it was an asbestos contaminated building.

"It's so well known that there's asbestos in those buildings, you can't hide it.

"He asked his guys to do the job. They should not even have touched the asbestos. We have to go through a course to do that type of work. If he went to a course, he would have known you can't touch that stuff... you have to have proper masks with an asbestos filter.

"With asbestos fibres, it's not what you can see that can kill you, it's what you can't see, like the fibres that can get into your clothes. You might try to shake it off your clothes you could go back home to your little brother and sister exposing them to asbestos fibres.

"I won't give my name, but if he denies any of this, I will come out and give my name.''