Asbestos risk to military personnel

An alert has been issued to military personnel who worked on Sea King helicopters warning they might have been exposed to asbestos, it has been reported.

Items or parts suspected of containing the carcinogenic substance are being urgently removed by the Ministry of Defence. Thousands of Royal Navy and RAF engineers who maintained the aircraft over the years are being contacted.

Foreign governments and private sector owners of the ex-british military helicopters are also being contacted.