A Poulton woman who believes her husband died from asbestos related cancer has launched a legal battle for compensation of up to £150,000.

John Manning, 83, died from malignant mesothelioma, a cancer of the tissues surrounding his abdomen or lungs, according to a writ issued in London’s High Court and just made publicly available..

Now his widow Jean, 77, of Wendover Road, Carleton, Poulton-le-Fylde, is claiming damages from RMD Kwikform, in the West Midlands

The writ says that he developed the terminal cancer through his work there, and died on May 1, 2004.

It alleges he was exposed to deadly asbestos dust and fibres when he worked for the company between 1965 and 1982.

For the last 15 years of his work, he was based at ICI in Thornton where he and his colleagues worked alongside laggers stripping asbestos lagging from pipework, says the writ.

It says he also worked alongside laggers mixing up asbestos powder with water to form new lagging, and this work was extremely dusty. After lagging had been stripped, the debris was left until the end of the shift, and Mr Manning had to dismantle scaffolding once an area of lagging had been finished. The scaffolding and wooden platforms were often covered in asbestos dust.

Mr Manning first suffered symptoms of mesothelioma in autumn 2003, and he became very disabled, suffering from breathlessness, chest pain, loss of appetite, loss of weight, and debility. He had to endure a painful and distressing terminal illness.

Mrs Manning now accuses her husband’s former employers of negligence and says they failed to provide protective equipment, failed to damp down asbestos, failed to warn him of the dangers to his health and failed to provide a safe system and place of work.

Mesothelioma is a terminal and progressive cancer, almost invariably linked to exposure to asbestos at work. Her claim is the latest in a series of actions brought by cancer victims, or their relatives, from all over the country under the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1934 and the Fatal Accidents Act 1976.