More than £126.7 million has been secured in compensation claims for people from the UK affected by asbestos diseases in the last three years alone by experts at Thompsons Solicitors.

Between 2015 and 2018, the law firm, which has teams of lawyers who specialise in asbestos claims, has secured millions in compensation for families living across England and Wales, including more than:

  • £6.4 million for people from East England
  • £26.3 million for people in the East Midlands
  • £12.8 million for people in the West Midlands
  • £24 million for people in the North East
  • £28.6 million for people in the North West
  • £3.2 million for people in London
  • £5.2 million for people in the South East
  • £4.2 million for people in the South West
  • £4.2 million for people in Wales

While asbestos is often thought of as a thing of the past, it continues to leave a devastating legacy and the death toll has not yet reached its peak.

Asbestos is the single biggest work-related killer in the UK. More than 20 years after it was banned here, people are still dying from it – often, decades after being exposed.

Ian McFall, national head of asbestos litigation for Thompsons Solicitors, said: “Employers and insurance companies don’t want to talk about exposing workers – and those around them – to asbestos. But, for the families we work with, ignoring the legacy left by asbestos is not an option. They live with the trauma of knowing that their life, or the life of someone they love, will be cut short.”

Asbestos was used most commonly in construction, shipping and manufacturing between 1950 and the 1980s because of its insulation properties and versatility. Blue and brown asbestos was banned in 1985, but white asbestos was only finally banned in the UK in 1999; despite the health risks being known as far back as the start of the 20th century.

“Asbestos diseases steal lives and cause unimaginable heartache,” continued Mr McFall. “That’s why we are campaigning to keep the conversation around asbestos on the agenda and make sure people don’t feel alone in this issue.”

Since bringing the first-ever successful asbestos disease case in the UK to the House of Lords in 1972, Thompsons Solicitors, with the support of the trades unions and asbestos victim support groups, has held insurance companies to account. Asbestos law experts at Thompsons Solicitors are highlighting the families and communities affected through the firm’s #PastButPresent campaign.