The family of a North East man who died from an asbestos-related cancer are appealing for his former colleagues to come forward with information about the conditions he worked in decades ago. 

Mr Peter Watson, who was from Wideopen, Newcastle upon Tyne, sadly died on 26 August 2025, aged 76, just months after he began suffering from breathlessness and chest pain in late 2024.  

A post-mortem examination confirmed that he was suffering from mesothelioma - a terminal cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. 

With legal support from Thompsons Solicitors, his family are now seeking help to support a claim against his former employers, in an effort to secure justice on his behalf.  

They say that Mr Watson was regularly exposed to asbestos throughout his working life – which included roles at both C Webster Ltd and R Arnott Ltd between the mid-1960s and early 1970s. 

Based on Westgate Road in Newcastle upon Tyne, C Webster Ltd employed Mr Watson as an apprentice plumber. He mainly worked in domestic properties, although he occasionally carried out work in commercial buildings.  

As part of his duties, he was required to remove asbestos lagging from old boilers, hot water tanks and connecting pipework in order to carry out general plumbing work. 

His family are now urging anyone who worked with Mr Watson - particularly at C Webster Ltd during the 1960s - or who can recall working on pipework and removing asbestos lagging with this company, to come forward with information about working conditions, asbestos use or safety practices. 

Anyone with information that could assist is encouraged to contact Stuart Latham at Thompsons Solicitors on 0191 269 0410, or via email at stuartlatham@thompsons.law. 

The appeal comes ahead of International Workers’ Memorial Day on April 28 and acts as a stark reminder of the lives lost and shattered by industrial diseases, and a renewed call to make jobs safer for everyone. 

Despite being banned in the UK more than 25 years ago, asbestos still causes around 5,000 deaths each year in Great Britain, with diseases such as mesothelioma often taking decades to develop after exposure. 

Thompsons Solicitors supports the TUC’s Time to Get Rid of It campaign, which calls for a fully funded national plan to remove asbestos from public buildings and prevent further loss of life.