Asbestos victim receives GBP 177,000 from old employer

A man has received £177,000 from a former employer in an out-of-court settlement over his exposure to asbestos in the 1970s, a source says.

Carter Design Group's former insurer has made the payment after a 15-month court case, the Harborough Mail reports.

Roger Plowman was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2006 and told he had less than two years to live.

The designer was exposed to asbestos while using cutting equipment at the firm between 1974 and 1977.

He tells the newspaper he hopes the settlement raises the public profile of asbestos and alerts the public to its risks.

"I want to talk about this and make other people aware," he says.

Since contracting the incurable disease, which is a cancer of the lung-lining caused by asbestos exposure, Mr Plowman has undergone four operations.

The managing director of Carter Design Group expresses sympathy for its ex-employee and claims it places "great emphasis" on worker safety, the news provider reveals.

Earlier this month, the Journal reported North Tyneside council was successfully sued for £17,005 after a caretaker was exposed to asbestos in a school boiler-room which he had not been told was quarantined.