The Manchester Evening News has just reported that nearly nine out of 10 Greater Manchester state schools have asbestos in their buildings.

Figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws show the cancer-causing material is present in 903 out of 1,043 schools.

Council chiefs say the asbestos is covered and should not present a danger to staff and pupils. But campaigners and politicians want the government to carry out a national audit.

A spokesman for the National Union of Teachers described the issue as `a ticking timebomb' because buildings can become dilapidated and the asbestos could then be exposed.

Town hall chiefs in every borough say action plans have been carried out in each school.

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