Family And Lawyers Call For Workmates To Come Forward

The family of a former builder and labourer from Dorking are appealing for help to establish how he contracted asbestos-related cancer.

Harold Flint spent his entire career as a builder and labourer in the town, largely self-employed or working with contractors.

He died last August, aged 78, just six weeks after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma - a cancer of the lining of the lung linked to asbestos exposure.

Following his death, his loved ones instructed specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his illness and help them gain answers regarding how he came into contact with the deadly material.

Harold’s family and legal team are now appealing for anyone who worked with or alongside Harold on projects to come forward with any information they may have regarding how he was exposed to asbestos.

Lacey St James, specialist asbestos-related disease lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing Harold’s family, said: “This is yet another case which highlights the devastating impact that exposure to asbestos can have, with Harold developing mesothelioma many decades after it is believed that exposure occurred.

“It is our understanding that Harold was self-employed but worked with a range of contractors during his career, so we would be keen to hear from anyone who worked with him even in the event that they do not believe they worked with asbestos.

“Any information could prove vital as we work to finally determine how he came to be exposed to the deadly material.”

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Harold married his wife Jacqueline, 68, in 1970. The couple had two sons, Lee and Gary, aged 49 and 48, as well as a daughter, Sharon Flint, 42. Harold also leaves behind two grandsons and two granddaughters from this marriage. His family remember him as a very active and social man before he fell ill, who enjoyed his retirement and regularly went out with friends for dinner at local pubs and restaurants.

According to information from the HMRC, Harold’s time as a self-employed labourer across the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s brought him into contact with a range of companies in the Dorking area, including K Sidney Ltd, Shirlee Modles Ltd, Jaxter Modles Ltd and M & L Goldstein Ltd. He is also thought to have worked with a company called Associated Roofing Ltd for a period.

His family have told Irwin Mitchell how much of the work he was involved in related to stripping out buildings, demolition projects and roofing. During this period, a lot of these buildings contained asbestos. However, Harold was never warned about this by any of the contractors he worked for, or provided with any protective respiratory equipment to keep him safe from the harmful dust while he carried out his work.

Harold’s daughter Sharon, said: “It was devastating to lose Dad so quickly following his diagnosis and the entire family still misses him so much every day. It is genuinely hard to believe he is no longer around.

“While nothing will ever bring him back, we are desperate to understand just how he came to develop mesothelioma and whether it could be linked to his work history. We would be hugely grateful to anyone who may be able to come forward and shed light on when he could have been exposed to asbestos. It could genuinely make a huge difference.”

Anyone with information which could assist this case is asked to contact Lacey St James at Irwin Mitchell’s London office on 0203 040 3445 or email lacey.stjames@irwinmitchell.com.