Family of asbestos victim seek compensation

A legal claim has been launched by the family of a woman who died of an asbestos-related illness.

Mesothelioma victim Tracey Carpenter lost her life last month at the age of 43, having been diagnosed with the disease in July, the Northants Evening Telegraph reports.

The mother of four did not work directly with the material, but may have been exposed to the substance through contact with clothes her father wore when working for British Steel as a crane operator in Corby between 1956 and 1980.

She worked in a laundry that dealt with his garments.

The paper noted that Northamptonshire has had the highest rate of asbestos-related deaths in the east Midlands, with 276 between 1981 and 2005.

Official government figures state that exposure to asbestos leads to around 4,000 deaths in Britain each year.

Ms Carpenter's family has appealed for anyone who worked with her father to get in touch with information they may have about asbestos contamination at the steelworks.