Last Updated on October 12, 2026
Lucion scores highest of the five UK asbestos surveying and removal brands compared, at 3.7 out of 10 on the Whito leaderboard.
Opinion and analysis. Whito read every brand below by hand on 12 October 2026, using publicly visible activity only. Each channel is scored 0 to 10 against fixed anchors, set out under How we scored, so a score describes what we could see on the day, not the quality of the service. Brands cannot pay to appear or to change a score. Where a figure is not published, we say so.
Asbestos work is sold on compliance, so most firms assume accreditations do the marketing. On this board, the accreditations are there and almost everything else is missing.
None of the five brands appeared in our 10 UK searches. None ran Google or Meta ads in the last 30 days. None has a Trustpilot profile with more than two reviews. The highest average is 3.7, and the gap between first and last is mostly social, email and named people.
Asbestos Essentials scores lowest at 1.9, although it is the only brand on the board that publishes a price, with surveys from £99. It has no social links, no email capture and no review profile.
The leaderboard
| Rank | Brand | Social | Website | SEO | Paid | Reviews | Brand | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucion | 4 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3.7 |
| 2 | Tersus | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3.1 |
| 3 | Armac Group | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2.7 |
| 4 | Thames Laboratories | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 2.6 |
| 5 | Asbestos Essentials | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1.9 |
Average is the simple mean of the seven channel scores, rounded to one decimal place. Read 12 October 2026.
Company verdicts
Lucion, 3.7
Lucion scores 3.7, the highest of the five. It is a national environmental consultancy headquartered in Gateshead, with more than 20 UK offices. It claims 100,000+ contracts delivered and 6,000+ clients. Asbestos surveys are one of many services, and its site does not offer removal. Email scores 6, the highest here: an ‘IMPACT Bulletin’ sign-up, the NexGen+ compliance portal and training resources. The website scores 6 for a quote button, contact form and a page per service, without prices. Brand scores 6 for a consistent name, the line ‘Protecting people and planet’ and named hires in its news. Social scores 4 for LinkedIn and Facebook. Its Trustpilot profile has no reviews, it ran no ads and it did not appear in search. The clearest gap is public proof.
Tersus, 3.1
Tersus scores 3.1. It is a property compliance consultancy and states that it is part of the Marlowe Group. It took over Santia Asbestos Management in September 2021, and the Santia site now says ‘Santia is now Tersus Consultancy Ltd’. The website scores 6 for service sections, a ‘Talk to us’ form and a public sector framework download, without prices. Brand scores 6 for a consistent name, the line ‘Your property compliance partner’ and named staff, including its Director of Training. Email scores 4 for client portals (TEAMS and PCS Risk Manager), with no newsletter. Social scores 2, for LinkedIn only. Reviews score 0, from a Trustpilot rating of 2.9 across 2 reviews with no replies. The clearest gap is reach beyond existing clients.
Armac Group, 2.7
Armac Group scores 2.7. It is a demolition contractor, founded in 1993, that also does asbestos removal. Armac Environmental Ltd holds HSE asbestos licence 022604679, which runs to 4 September 2029. Social scores 6, the highest on this board, for Facebook, X, LinkedIn and YouTube. The website scores 5: service sections and a contact page, with its ARCA member number shown, but no prices and no form on the homepage. Brand scores 4 for a consistent name and the line ‘An unrivalled reputation for safety, service and reliability’. Email scores 0. It ran no ads, did not appear in search and had no Trustpilot profile we could find. The clearest gap is that asbestos sits inside a demolition brand, with no named people.
Thames Laboratories, 2.6
Thames Laboratories scores 2.6. It is an independent consultancy with its own laboratory and offices in East Anglia and Greater London. Brand scores 6, mainly because its Meet the Team page names the managing director and staff alongside their asbestos qualifications (P402, P403, P404, S301). That is the clearest show of expertise on this board. The website scores 6 for service pages covering surveys, laboratory, air testing and training, with a contact form and freephone number but no quote tool or prices. Social scores 2, for LinkedIn only. Email scores 0. Its news page shows involvement in a National Asbestos Strategy in July 2025. No Trustpilot profile was found and it ran no ads. The clearest gap is any route to stay in touch after a first visit.
Asbestos Essentials, 1.9
Asbestos Essentials scores 1.9, the lowest of the five. It is an HSE-licensed removal contractor, holding licence 182605869, which runs to 14 March 2029. It has offices in Milton Keynes and London. The website scores 7, the highest on this board, because it publishes a price: call-out surveys from £99. It also has pages for licensed, notifiable non-licensed and unlicensed removal, and an enquiry form. The site states it is HSE licensed but does not show the licence number. Social, email and reviews all score 0: no social links, no email capture beyond the enquiry form, and no Trustpilot profile found. Brand scores 2. It ran no ads. The clearest gap is that its strongest asset, a published price, has no reviews or named people behind it.
What the channels show
Nobody shows up in search
All five brands scored the minimum of 2 for search: none of their sites appeared in our 10 UK searches. It is the clearest gap on the board. Homeowners and landlords asking about survey costs or garage roof removal are not finding these firms’ own pages, which leaves room for a local firm that writes plain answers. Search is where a small, specialist firm can compete without a large budget.
No ads, no reviews
None of the five ran Google or Meta ads in the last 30 days. Every brand scored 0 for reviews: Lucion’s Trustpilot profile has no reviews, Tersus has 2, and the other three had no profile we could find. The whole sector here relies on referrals, frameworks and repeat clients. That works for repeat clients, but it leaves nothing for a first-time customer to check.
One published price
Asbestos Essentials is the only brand to publish a figure, with surveys from £99, and it is the only one to score 7 for website. The three consultancies price by enquiry. For a homeowner worried about an artex ceiling or a shed roof, a starting price makes the first call easier. Removal is harder to price without a survey, but a survey price or a typical range for common jobs is still possible.
Expertise is shown, then left alone
Thames Laboratories names its team with qualifications, and Lucion and Tersus name staff in their news and testimonials. Only Lucion turns that expertise into a regular email, the IMPACT Bulletin, and it has the highest email score at 6. The rest have no newsletter. Regular, useful email keeps a consultancy in mind between jobs, which matters in a trade where work comes from repeat duty holders and contractors.
Key lessons for any asbestos surveying or removal business
Show your licence number and expiry
HSE licence details are public, and Asbestos Essentials and Armac both hold licences running to 2029. Neither shows the number on its homepage. Put yours in the footer and on your removal page so a customer can check it in seconds.
Publish a starting price
Asbestos Essentials lists surveys from £99 and scores 7 for website, the highest here. A ‘from’ price for your most common job, such as a survey or a garage roof, answers the first worry a customer has. Add what the price includes, such as sampling and the written report, so the figure is clear.
Name your surveyors and their qualifications
Thames Laboratories lists its team with P402, P403 and S301 qualifications, which earned it the named-people check. Most competitors name nobody. A short team page builds trust in a trade where customers cannot judge the work. Add each person’s years in the trade and the type of work they lead.
Ask every domestic client for a review
No brand here scored above 0 for reviews. Even ten reviews on one platform would give you more public proof than every firm on this board. Ask at sign-off, when the clearance certificate goes out. Reply to each one so the next customer sees a firm that answers.
Write answers to homeowner questions
None of the five appeared in our searches. Short pages on what a survey costs, whether artex contains asbestos, or how garage roof removal works can bring in enquiries that the larger firms are not chasing. Link each page to your survey booking so a reader can act straight away.
Steal this playbook
Five moves from this leaderboard, ranked by return on effort.
- Start collecting reviews. Every brand on this board scored 0 for reviews, so a small firm can lead on this channel quickly.
- Put your HSE licence number on every page. It is the trade’s main trust signal, and neither licensed contractor here shows it on its homepage.
- Publish a ‘from’ price. The only brand with a price scores the highest website mark on the board.
- Write three plain answer pages. None of the five brands appeared in our 10 searches, so the field is open.
- Add a team page with qualifications. Thames Laboratories shows how named, qualified people lift a brand score.
The evidence behind the scores
One line per channel, as read on 12 October 2026. Review figures change daily; these are the numbers on the day we looked.
Lucion
- Social 4: LinkedIn and Facebook linked from luciongroup.com; no Instagram, X, TikTok or YouTube links found.
- Website 6: Get a quote button, contact form, an arranged call with a consultant and a page per service across asbestos, hazardous materials and surveying; no prices.
- Email 6: ‘IMPACT Bulletin’ email sign-up, NexGen+ cloud compliance portal, training calendar and resource downloads.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned luciongroup.com in the top ten.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain luciongroup.com: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK: no active ads naming the brand.
- Reviews 0: Trustpilot profile for luciongroup.com exists but has no reviews (read 12 October 2026).
- Brand 6: Same name on site, LinkedIn and Facebook, a clear positioning line (‘Protecting people and planet’) and named people in its news; no long-running asset or three recent news mentions found.
Tersus
- Social 2: LinkedIn is the only social platform linked from tersusgroup.co.uk; no Facebook, Instagram or X links found.
- Website 6: Service sections (asbestos, CDM, fire, Legionella, training), a ‘Talk to us’ contact form and a public sector framework download; no prices.
- Email 4: Client portals (TEAMS, PCS Risk Manager) and a framework PDF; no newsletter found.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned tersusgroup.co.uk in the top ten.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain tersusgroup.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK: no active ads naming the brand.
- Reviews 0: Trustpilot 2.9 from 2 reviews; 0 of the latest 2 have a company reply.
- Brand 6: Same name on site and LinkedIn, a clear positioning line (‘Your property compliance partner’) and named staff; no long-running asset or three recent news mentions found.
Armac Group
- Social 6: Facebook, X, LinkedIn and YouTube linked from armacgroup.co.uk; the Facebook page uses the ArmacDemolition name.
- Website 5: Service sections (demolition, rail and civils, asbestos removal, strip-out), contact page, phone and email, ARCA member number shown; no prices or homepage form.
- Email 0: No newsletter, lead magnet or other email sign-up found on armacgroup.co.uk.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned armacgroup.co.uk in the top ten.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain armacgroup.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK: no active ads naming the brand.
- Reviews 0: No Trustpilot profile found for armacgroup.co.uk (checked 12 October 2026).
- Brand 4: Same name across site and socials and a clear positioning line (‘An unrivalled reputation for safety, service and reliability’); no long-running asset, named people or three recent news mentions found.
Thames Laboratories
- Social 2: LinkedIn is the only social platform linked from thameslabs.co.uk; no Facebook, Instagram or X links found.
- Website 6: Service pages (surveys, consultancy, laboratory, air testing, training), contact form and 0800 085 2348; no quote tool or prices.
- Email 0: No newsletter, download or other email sign-up found on thameslabs.co.uk.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned thameslabs.co.uk in the top ten.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain thameslabs.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK: no active ads naming the brand.
- Reviews 0: No Trustpilot profile found for thameslabs.co.uk (checked 12 October 2026).
- Brand 6: Same name on site and LinkedIn, a clear positioning line (‘Independent UKAS Accredited Asbestos Surveying Consultancy’) and a named team with qualifications; no long-running asset or three recent news mentions found.
Asbestos Essentials
- Social 0: No links to Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube or LinkedIn found on the asbestosessentials.co.uk homepage.
- Website 7: Pages for licensed, notifiable non-licensed and unlicensed removal, surveys and soft strip, an enquiry form, two phone lines and surveys ‘from £99’; licence number not shown.
- Email 0: No newsletter or other email sign-up found beyond the enquiry form on asbestosessentials.co.uk.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned asbestosessentials.co.uk in the top ten.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain asbestosessentials.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK: no active ads naming the brand.
- Reviews 0: No Trustpilot profile found for asbestosessentials.co.uk (checked 12 October 2026).
- Brand 2: A clear positioning line (‘Safe, Specialist & Compliant Asbestos Removal Services’); no social to compare, no long-running asset, named people or three recent news mentions found.
How we scored
Who is on the board. Five UK asbestos brands a duty holder, landlord or homeowner is likely to meet, spanning models: a national environmental consultancy with 20+ offices (Lucion), a group-owned national compliance consultancy (Tersus, part of the Marlowe Group, which absorbed Santia), an independent regional consultancy with its own lab (Thames Laboratories, East Anglia and London), an HSE-licensed removal contractor that sells to homeowners with a published survey price (Asbestos Essentials) and a demolition contractor with an HSE asbestos licence (Armac). Chosen for relevance and size, not marketing strength. HSE licence status was checked against the HSE licensed contractor list as republished weekly by UKATA (table ‘Last updated 12/10/2026’): https://www.ukata.org.uk/library/hse-licensed-asbestos-removal-contractors-register/. Consultancies (Lucion, Tersus, Thames) survey and test rather than remove, so they do not need a removal licence. Brands were chosen for relevance and size, not for marketing strength.
- Social: which platforms the brand links to from its own site, and whether we could see recent posting and video.
- Website: 2 for a brochure page, 4 with a contact route on mobile, 6 with a page per service and a one-step enquiry, 8 with prices or ranges and registration numbers shown, 10 with online booking or an instant priced quote.
- Email: visible capture only, as we did not subscribe test inboxes for this edition. 2 for a bare newsletter form, up to 10 for a loyalty or app ecosystem with personal offers.
- SEO: ten UK searches for this trade, run through a standard web search API on 12 October 2026 (not personalised, no location set beyond the town in the query); we counted how many returned the brand’s own site in the top ten results. 0 of 10 scores 2, 1 to 2 scores 4, 3 to 4 scores 6, 5 to 6 scores 8, 7 or more scores 10, plus 1 for a substantial advice library. The searches: asbestos removal near me; asbestos survey cost UK; asbestos testing UK; licensed asbestos removal contractor; asbestos garage roof removal cost; asbestos removal London; asbestos survey Manchester; asbestos removal Birmingham; asbestos survey Leeds; asbestos removal Glasgow.
- Paid: the Google Ads Transparency Centre (UK, last 30 days, by domain) and the Meta Ad Library (UK, active ads whose text names the brand, counted by the advertiser page). 2 for nothing found in either, 4 for active in one with fewer than 10 ads, 6 for active in both or 10+ in one, 8 for active in both with 10+ in at least one, 10 for 50+ Google ads and 10+ Meta ads. Paid describes visible activity, not quality. A low paid score is not a fault.
- Reviews: a fixed formula. Rating (4.7+ scores 4, 4.5 to 4.69 scores 3, 4.0 to 4.49 scores 2, 3.5 to 3.99 scores 1) plus volume (10,000+ scores 4, 1,000+ scores 3, 100+ scores 2, 20+ scores 1) plus replies to the latest 20 reviews (half or more scores 2, some scores 1).
- Brand: five checks worth 2 each: the same name and logo everywhere, one clear positioning line, a distinctive asset used for years, three or more independent press mentions in 90 days, and named people or expertise on the site.
These anchors are fixed for this edition, so the five scores can be read against each other. Boards published before October 2026 used scores relative to the other brands on the board, so compare across boards with care.
Common questions
Which asbestos brand scores highest on the Whito leaderboard?
Lucion scores highest of the five UK asbestos surveying and removal brands compared, at 3.7 out of 10. It leads on email, with an ‘IMPACT Bulletin’ sign-up and a compliance portal, and has a consistent brand with named people. Like the other four, it did not appear in our searches, ran no ads and has no reviews.
Which brand scores lowest, and why?
Asbestos Essentials scores 1.9. It holds an HSE removal licence and is the only brand publishing a price (surveys from £99), which gives it the highest website score. It has no social links, no email capture beyond its enquiry form, no Trustpilot profile we could find, and ran no ads in the last 30 days.
How do asbestos brands perform on reviews?
Every brand on this board scored 0 for reviews. Lucion’s Trustpilot profile has no reviews, Tersus has 2 reviews at 2.9, and Thames Laboratories, Armac Group and Asbestos Essentials had no profile we could find. This sector relies on referrals and frameworks, which leaves public reviews wide open for a local firm.
What can a local asbestos firm copy from these brands?
Show your HSE licence number and expiry on every page. Publish a ‘from’ price for surveys, as Asbestos Essentials does. Name your surveyors and their qualifications, as Thames Laboratories does. Send a short regular email to clients, as Lucion does with its IMPACT Bulletin, and ask every domestic client for a review.
How can a customer check an asbestos removal licence?
The HSE publishes its list of licensed asbestos removal contractors, and UKATA republishes it weekly. Each entry gives the company name, address, licence number and expiry date. For example, Asbestos Essentials holds licence 182605869 to 14 March 2029. Surveying consultancies do not need a removal licence.
Corrections and right of reply
If your business is scored here and you think we have a fact wrong, email hello@whito.co.uk. We check it against the source, correct it within five working days if we are wrong, and publish your statement alongside if you want us to. Scores are never changed for payment or because a business has claimed a Whito listing. Full route: corrections, right of reply and removals.
Related: all UK marketing leaderboards · Asbestos Removal on Whito
If your business is named here and you think we have a fact wrong, email hello@whito.co.uk and we will check it and correct it. If you want to respond, send us a statement and we will publish it alongside. Full detail: Corrections, right of reply and removals.
