Oldham Man Battles For Justice After Contracting Asbestos-Related Illness

By Suzanne Rutter

A former rubber factory worker suffering from an asbestos-related cancer is appealing for his ex workmates to come forward to help lawyers build up a full picture of working conditions at the Hubron factory in Failsworth. 

Trevor Lewis, a talented footballer, left school in 1969 and went to play professional football with the Oldham Athletic Association Football Club based at Boundary Park in Oldham. 

He was diagnosed with terminal cancer mesothelioma in 2012 caused by breathing in asbestos dust years ago.  He believes he may have been exposed to the deadly dust during his time working as a buyer fo Hubron International in Failsworth, Manchester, in the early 1970s.

The 60-year-old has instructed industrial illness experts at law firm Irwin Mitchell to help in his battle for justice and they are now appealing for any former Hubron employees to come forward with information about the working conditions at the factory. 

Trevor, who lives with his wife Maureen in Oldham, applied for a job at the Hubron factory after passing his exams at Chadderton Grammar School For Boys.

He worked for Hubron International in their Failsworth factory first in 1970 and again between 1974 and 1975. He was employed as a trainee buyer but his job entailed working on the factory floor where the rubber was produced. He is appealing to former colleagues to come forward and confirm whether asbestos was used in the factory or whether it may have been used to lag the steam pipes that ran throughout the workspace.

When he joined the firm aged 17 his manager was called Brian Lord, whose son was at Chadderton Grammar School in the year below him. Trevor has also been trying to contact Brian’s son to ask for his help piecing together information about the working conditions at the factory and is appealing for anyone who knows the Lord family in Failsworth to get in touch.

After leaving Hubron Trevor worked as a sales representative for the rest of his career and had no known contact with asbestos there.

The father-of-two said: “Being diagnosed with mesothelioma came completely out of the blue and has been devastating for the whole family. It’s even more of a shock because I have been healthy and well up to now and always kept fit. The doctors have told me that the mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure and I feel it’s important for me to identify who is responsible for this.

“I was only 17 years old when I worked at Hubron and I hope others who worked there will help me piece together whether my exposure to asbestos took place there or not.”

Geraldine Coombs, an industrial illness expert at Irwin Mitchell’s Manchester office representing Trevor, said it had been heartbreaking for him to discover he has an incurable cancer caused by coming into contact with asbestos decades ago.

She added: “The dangers of asbestos have been known about for many years but employers often failed to take even basic precautions to protect their workers from its harmful effects.  Employers need to make employee safety a top priority. There is no safe type or safe level of asbestos.

“We are urging any of Trevor’s former colleagues or employees at the rubber factory to come forward and help us understand if and when he was exposed to asbestos there so we can help him get the justice he deserves.”

Anyone with information about the working conditions at Hubron should contact Geraldine Coombs on 0161 838 3059 or email Geraldine.Coombs@IrwinMitchell.com.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, our expert mesothelioma solicitors could help you claim compensation. See our Asbestos-Related Disease Claims Guide for more information.