Woman Suffered From Mesothelioma

The family of a former Staffordshire mill worker, who died after being exposed to asbestos, is appealing for her former work colleagues to come forward and help them in their battle for justice.
 
73 year old Margaret Windsor from Newcastle under Lyme died on 13 April 2009 from mesothelioma, an aggressive and fatal form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. An inquest into her death was held on 16th November 2009 and a verdict of industrial disease was recorded.

Her devastated husband, Roy, and daughter, Janet, have now instructed law firm Irwin Mitchell to take legal action on their behalf.

Margaret Windsor is believed to have been exposed to asbestos whilst working for Newcastle under Lyme based Enderley Mills where she worked from 1951 until 1979. The mill has since ceased trading.

Mrs Windsor, who had been married for more than 50 years, met husband, Roy, whilst they were working together at Enderley Mills.
 
During her time at Enderley, Mrs Windsor worked as a button holer and Mr Windsor recalls she spent most of her time in the jeans room with three colleagues. During his time working at the mill, Roy recalls that asbestos was present in the pipes, the roof and the presses that were used on the clothes. Mrs Windsor was in constant contact with these presses. 

He said: “It was a really dusty place to work in and you could even see fibres in the air.  Margaret’s niece worked there too.  She died of breast cancer, but the doctors found asbestos related disease in her too.”

Mr Windsor added: “Margaret just got ill so quickly, but in that time she suffered a great deal.  She shouldn’t have had to suffer like this, just because she was unlucky enough to work in a deadly environment.”

Iain Shoolbred, from the Birmingham office of national law firm Irwin Mitchell, is representing the family in their claim for compensation.

He explained: “Roy and Janet are still finding it very difficult to cope with the loss of Margaret. She spent many months undergoing medical tests to try to get to the bottom of what was wrong.  It was less than 3 months before she passed away that she was finally given the diagnosis of mesothelioma.

“As yet there is no cure for mesothelioma. This fatal illness can often take more than 20 years to develop from initial exposure to asbestos fibres, to the onset of symptoms. Every year this dreadful disease kills thousands of innocent victims who were exposed simply through the air that they breathed whilst at work. Even as far back as the 1930s, employers were aware of the risks of asbestos yet in many cases little was done to protect workers.

“In order to obtain justice for Mr Windsor and his family, it is vital to obtain further information about working practices undertaken at Enderley Mills in the 1960s and 1970s. The mill was a very large employer locally and we hope that former workers from the Newcastle under Lyme and Stoke areas may be able to help us with their recollections.

Anyone who worked with Margaret Windsor and/or worked at Enderley Mills during the 1960s and 70s should contact Iain Shoolbred at Irwin Mitchell solicitors via iain.shoolbred@irwinmitchell.com or on 0370 1500 100.