Appeal Launched To Help In Battle For Justice

The devastated daughter of a Suffolk man who died of an asbestos-related disease has launched an emotional appeal to win justice for her father by asking people who may have worked with him to come forward.

George Thomas Warren, of Mildenhall, Bury St Edmunds, was 70 when he died in April 2008 from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to deadly asbestos dust.

With the help of specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, George’s family are seeking witnesses of how he came into contact with the lethal fibres, and believe his health problems were caused by his time spent working as a trainee lagger at a range of industrial sites for Armstrong Cork Company Ltd, and as a lagger for William Douglas & Sons (Engineering) Ltd in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Commenting on her father’s death, Yvonne Roberts, 52, of Rainham, Kent said: “Dad remembered being involved in jobs for Armstrong Cork at sites including the Bootle Cold Stores in Liverpool, the Smedleys factory in Spalding and the Walls factory in Acton.

“He told us about his time working for William Douglas & Sons across the country, where he would saw asbestos to size and smooth the edges of lagging used on pipework.

“Dad worked hard all his life and to know his work is what killed him is hard to bear. We are all devastated by his death and are desperate to see justice done.”

Alice Humphreys, the solicitor and asbestos-related disease specialist at Irwin Mitchell who is representing the family, said: “George was involved in work for Armstrong Cork, now known as Armstrong World Industries Ltd, from about 1952 to 1955 and also in the early 1960s.

“He was also employed at William Douglas, which is now called APV Packaging Systems Ltd, between about 1961 and 1963.

“George’s family are desperate to find any witnesses and I would urge anyone who has experiences to share about working for either firm around the times he was there to come forward as soon as possible.

“Better still if anyone can remember working with George, and the type of tasks he used to carry out, please get in touch.

“Asbestos-related diseases have a devastating impact on so many lives and exposure to the material is widely regarded as the biggest occupational killer of all time.

“While it is sadly too late for George and so many others, we hope that our work on gaining justice for the families of those negligently exposed to asbestos will help to raise awareness of its devastating consequences and spare more people from heartache in the future.”

Anyone who can help with any information is asked to contact Alice Humphreys at Irwin Mitchell LLP on 0207 421 4730 or email alice.humphreys@irwinmitchell.com.