Daughter of Bradford Decorator Appeals For Help Following Dad's Death From Asbestos Cancer

The daughter of a former painter and decorator from Bradford is appealing to her dad’s old workmates for information on how he came into contact with the asbestos which claimed his life.

Jack Harris, 85 from Shipley, died after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung associated with exposure to asbestos, often decades previously.

Following Jack’s death, his daughter Karen Little, 62, instructed expert asbestos-related disease lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate if her dad’s illness was linked to his work history.

Karen has now joined with her legal team to appeal for anyone who worked with her dad to come forward with information on his working conditions to come forward. They are keen to trace anyone who worked with Jack during his time working for the former Shipley Urban District Council between 1959 and 1974 and with Bradford Metropolitan District Council from 1974 until 1991.

Jack worked as a painter and decorator in West Yorkshire for many years, beginning his career with Bagnalls before doing his National Service and then worked for Shipley Urban District Council in 1959, before it became Bradford MDC in 1974 until 1991.

Jack worked for both exclusively, on a variety of different public buildings and housing estates throughout the region. Victoria Hall in Saltaire and The Alhambra Theatre and St George’s Hall in Bradford were among the landmarks Jack worked at, Karen said.

Expert Opinion

“Jack’s death is yet another reminder of the terrible legacy asbestos left behind. Mesothelioma is a dreadful disease with many people only developing symptoms many years after being exposed to asbestos.

“Sadly Jack died before he could pass on many details of his working life and has left the family with many unanswered questions concerning his exposure to asbestos.

“Asbestos is often associated with heavy industry and so it can come as a surprise to some that its use was widespread, with public buildings such as schools and leisure facilities as well as homes and offices all containing the hazardous material.

“Understandably Jack’s family remain devastated by his death. While nothing can bring Jack back, we’re determined to at least provide his family with the answers they deserve. Therefore if anyone could come forward with information about conditions Jack faced it could go a long way in providing his family with some form of closure following what has been a traumatic experience.” Hannah Robinson - Associate

Jack was married to Myra and the couple had two children, Eric, 63 and Karen, 62.

In his free time, Jack was a keen fisherman and loved going on holiday in the family caravan.

Jack started to feel unwell with symptoms on August 2020. Jack died on 25 March, 2021. A Post Mortem confirmed a diagnosis of mesothelioma. Karen said: “Nearly two years on and our family is still struggling to come to terms with the manner of dad’s death. He seemed in such good health for a man of his age until this shocking diagnosis.

“Dad worked hard throughout his life and didn’t deserve to suffer at the end as a result of being exposed to asbestos. He was keen to find out how this could have happened but was too ill at the end to do anything other than give us some details of his work history.

“It seems only right now to do what he wanted and try to find out how he was exposed to asbestos. We know he worked on a lot of council buildings and on housing estates throughout the Bradford and Shipley area. If anyone who worked with him could come forward, it would be a huge help.

“Any information will help complete the picture and finally allow dad to rest in peace.”

Anyone with information that may assist with the case is asked to contact Hannah Robinson at Irwin Mitchell on 0113 394 6842 or email Hannah.Robinson@IrwinMitchell.com

Find out more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling asbestos-related disease cases