A joiner who is now terminally ill after being exposed to asbestos at work has won compensation of more than £350,000 from his former employer.

Stephen Adkin, 54, worked for Nova Retail Display Ltd. between 1996 and 2010. During the late 1990s he was given the task of removing asbestos ceiling and floor tiles from shoe shops in the West Yorkshire region, even though he had not been trained to carry out this specialised work. He also believes that he was further exposed to asbestos dust during repairs to the corrugated asbestos roof at the factory where he was based.

In 2009, Mr Adkin began to suffer from chest and back pains and in 2010 was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a particularly virulent form of cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs. When asbestos fibres enter the body, they can cause healthy cells to mutate into cancerous cells. These can lie dormant for many years before a victim shows any signs of illness. By the time mesothelioma is diagnosed the survival rate is poor, with around 75 per cent of sufferers dying within one year of diagnosis. It is therefore vital that compensation is paid to those affected at the earliest possible time.

Mr Adkin, who had previously been very active, suffered a rapid deterioration in his health and is now thought to have just a few months to live.

Mr Adkin’s personal injury claim was settled shortly before it was due to come to court and he won £372,000 in compensation.