Many thanks again for the tips, much appreciated - especially useful
information to be found at asbestos watchdog.

Asbestolux is fairly soft - a Stanley knife with a new blade can
easily be pushed into it. The other slightly less likely possibility
for a ceiling in the situation you describe is that the board is
asbestos cement in which case it will be very hard and a knife blade
pushed into it won't make any impression on it.

Well, I wouldn't say soft, cos it's quite rigit, but under, er,
controlled conditions, I can easily score it to about 1 ot 2mm deep
with a stanley knife. A bit like a harder version of plasterboard. So
sounds more like asbestolux than asbestos cement.

In a domestic situation with
AIB ceiling boards the risk is negligible.

Phew! Thanks.

IF it is amosite (asbestolux) you _cannot_ remove it yourself but
_must_ use a licensed contractor. Asbestos Insulation Board
containing Amosite is a licensed material and only specially licensed
asbestos contractors can remove it if the work is to take longer than
one hour. The local council will not accept Amosite for disposal.

Actually, it's so badly put up that I could take it down in about an
hour But...

If at all practical you shouldn't remove it, the safest thing to do
is to leave it where it is. If necessary give it a good coat of a
suitable sealant to reduce any tendency to minimise particle
shedding.

Sounds like good advice and seems to be echoed elsewhere. Actually,
the main reason I want to get rid of it is that it looks really messy
and I'm trying to tidy up my workshop - as opposed to an oh-no-
asbestos-we're-all-going-to-die reaction. How about plasterboarding
right on top of it? I can't imagine that using PB screws through it
would release any dust/fibres? (that would have to get through the
plasterboard too?)

If you get into using licensed contractors then you are in trouble.
To describe most of the asbestos removal industry as corrupt
fraudsters is probably being rather unkind to people who send you
e-mails from Nigeria offering large sums of money if you call them
the same thing.

Thanks for the warning! Whatever solution I come up with will not be
going down that route...

Matthew