Bowburn, a small village on the outskirts of Durham, has been left a sad legacy from an old asbestos factory. Today a new housing development is located on the site of the old Cape factory. The factory operated in Bowburn from 1964 until it closed in 1990.
Our client, an elderly lady, remembers the Cape factory for many reasons. Her home, where she has lived for most of her life, is located a quarter of a mile from the site. Dust emanated from the factory and it became part of her every-day routine to sweep the dust away from her path and clean the dust off her windows and window sills. Her children played outside her home and in the fields adjoining the Cape factory.
Her son also worked at the factory where he came into contact with asbestos on a daily basis. As his mother’s house was so close to the factory, he called into see her every day on his way to or from work for a chat and a cup of tea. At one stage during his employment with Cape he returned home to live with his mother for some months and she washed his overalls for him during this time.
Sadly, our client developed mesothelioma, an aggressive and usually incurable cancer that develops in the lungs when tiny fibres of asbestos are inhaled. Others in the village of Bowburn have also contracted mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Boyes Turner’s asbestos-related disease specialists are skilled at obtaining compensation for sufferers of asbestos-related disease and have obtained justice for many other people similarly affected by Cape. In this case, we helped our elderly client make a claim for compensation. Cape initially denied all responsibility but after gathering sufficient evidence to prove our client’s case, we secured a significant sum in settlement.
