Compensation claim news
03/04/2009

Council pays out after teacher succumbs to asbestos

After the death of a long serving teacher East Sussex County Council has been ordered to pay his widow £290,000 in asbestos compensation.

The teacher had worked in the same school for 34 years and developed mesothelioma as a result of conducting science experiments and demonstrations that brought him into contact with asbestos.

He died, aged 61, in September 2007 after being diagnosed with the deadly asbestos cancer just five months before.

A spokeswoman for the council said, "The council is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for our employees and pupils.

"We take our responsibilities for asbestos management very seriously and follow statutory Health and Safety Executive guidance."

It is estimated that over three quarters of schools in the UK contain asbestos and it is therefore likely that further asbestos compensation cases will be brought against local governments with the help of personal injury solicitors.