A FORMER labourer for a Newport ship-breaking company has issued an appeal for his ex-colleagues to come forward with information about the conditions of his workplace after doctors diagnosed him with the asbestos-related cancer Mesothelioma.

Glyndwr Lovesey, 68, was 15 years old when he left school and began working for John Cashmore Limited in Newport between approximately 1966 and 1971.

Staying with the company for around five years, he recalls working in the hanger where he was responsible for breaking down and processing large pieces of metal - including old steam and heating pipes from ships. It was during this time that he recalls coming into contact with asbestos as he stripped the lagging off the sections of pipes – often coming into contact with huge volumes of dust that got into his clothes and hair.

READ MORE:

The business was closed in October 1976.

Mr Lovesey and his family have now begun a battle for answers and have instructed industrial disease lawyers to carry out an investigation into whether more could and should have been done to protect him from exposure to the deadly dust.

He said: “I very clearly remember being surrounded by asbestos dust throughout my career as a labourer working for John Cashmore Limited.

"I would crack the lagging on the pipes with a large pointed hammer - it would create a huge dust haze in the air that would linger for ages.

“I recall sweeping up the dust at the end of the shift to keep the area tidy, but that just kicked up the finer dust back into the air which I would have no choice but to breathe in.

“Thinking back now with the knowledge I have about asbestos it was crazy allowing us to do that work. It was so dusty, but we weren’t provided with masks or anything.”

Having received the diagnosis earlier this year Mr Lovesey - who is struggling to continue in his job as a saw operator for a timber merchants because of his condition - added: “I’m desperate now for answers as to why more wasn’t done to protect us and would urge any of my ex-colleagues to come forward with information that might help."

Anthony Waddington of industrial disease lawyers Simpson Millar, who is representing Mr Lovesey in his battle for answers, said: “We are looking to speak to anyone who worked at John Cashmore Limited in the late 1960s and early 1970s to gain an understanding of the working conditions and relevant safety procedures that were in place at the time to protect staff from exposure to the harmful dust and fibres.

“Mr Lovesey is very unwell as a result of his illnesses and it is our hope that in addition to answers as to why he was exposed to the dust that has made him unwell, we can also secure a care package for him that will provide some financial security whilst he struggles his condition.”

John Cashmore Limited was a company operating largely in Newport. It became best known for ship-breaking and scrapping redundant British railway locomotives.

No legal claim has yet been launched, but Simpson Millar say they have located employers liability insurance for John Cashmore Limited relating to Mr Lovesey's period of employment and state that it will likely cover his claim.

Anyone with information can contact Mr Waddington at Simpson Millar on 08082506581 or via anthony.waddington@simpsonmillar.co.uk