Asbestos dust exposure

The son of a Doncaster man, who died after being exposed to asbestos at work, is appealing for his fathers former work colleagues to come forward, to help in the legal battle for compensation.

Anthony Kenneth Richards, known as Tony to friends and family, from Kirk Sandall, died on 19 September 2003 at the age of 60 from mesothelioma, from the fatal asbestos-related lung disease.

Mr Richards is thought to have been exposed to asbestos dust whilst working for J Ibbotson in Bentley Road, Doncaster, between 1958 and 1960. He joined the company as an apprentice painter and decorator age 15.

Contact with asbestos dust

According to Mr Richards, he often came into contact with asbestos when preparing drainpipes and guttering prior to painting. Wire brushing the asbestos guttering produced airborne asbestos dust. According Mr Richards he was not provided with any respiratory protection.

Mr Richards family has now launched a search for his former work colleagues who can help them to prove that his death was due to asbestos exposure at work.

Mr Richards son, also called Anthony Richards, said: This terrible illness took my dad away from us so quickly. It is such an aggressive disease that causes so much pain and suffering. He suffered greatly in the last months of his life and he left behind a family who miss him terribly.

Asbestos solicitor

Helen Ashton a specialist asbestos solicitor, from the Sheffield office of national law firm Irwin Mitchell, in the city's Riverside, is representing the Richards family in their claim for compensation.

She explained: Mesothelioma is a particularly debilitating disease and it is increasingly claiming the lives of men and women in a wider range of occupations. It used to be considered an old persons illness, but we are seeing an increasing number of younger people being diagnosed. Mr Richards is sadly an example of this.

As with so many cases of mesothelioma, Mr Richards had only a matter of months to live once he had been diagnosed and this came as a terrible shock to his family who are still trying to come to terms with his death. In order for them to obtain some justice, its vital that people who worked alongside him come forward to assist us with our enquiries.

Anyone who worked with Mr Richards at J Ibbotson between 1958 and 1960 should contact either Helen Ashton or Martyn Haywood at Irwin Mitchell solicitors on 0370 1500 100.