WORKING with asbestos was a key factor in the death of a retired Barrow steelworks employee, an inquest heard.

The hearing relating to the death of Alan Wilson was held in Barrow Town Hall.

The dad-of-six, of West View Road, Barrow, died in Furness General Hospital on April 17, aged 82, after his health deteriorated around the turn of the year.

The inquest heard the retired fitter worked in Barrow steelworks, where he regularly came into contact with asbestos.

His daughter, Julie Thomson, told the hearing her dad had said it was often floating in the air and sometimes had to be physically removed from the furnaces.

Mr Wilson, whose wife Mary died seven years earlier, had also been a lifelong smoker, smoking up to 40 cigarettes a day for the best part of 65 years.

Mr Paul O’Donnell, assistant coroner for Cumbria, recorded the conclusion that Mr Wilson died of industrial disease.

However, the inquest heard he had experienced a variety of ailments.

He had been dealing with bladder cancer since 2007 and suffered a stroke in 2011, prompting surgery for carotid artery stenosis. Mr Wilson, who worked at Bowater-Scott, in Barrow, before retirement, had also suffered with lung problems, chiefly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

He also had pleural plaques – a benign thickening on the lining of the lungs, due to asbestos exposure – and a tumour had developed on his lung.

Mr O’Donnell said the tumour had most likely been mesothelioma – a cancer caused by asbestos exposure.

The coroner said a person who has worked with asbestos and smokes is 92 times more likely to suffer from lung cancer.

He added: “At the time of his death, he was suffering from lung cancer.

“It was not his primary cause of death, but it’s quite clear the deterioration in his condition can be attributed to a number of explanations.

“His lungs were failing him and while COPD has been designated as the primary cause of death, I take the view that you cannot ignore the fact he had lung cancer.

“He was a lifelong smoker and had been exposed to asbestos during his lifetime.”

Figures released last month showed Barrow has the highest rate of mortality for mesothelioma in England and Wales – with the death rate now sitting at three and a half times the national average.

Barrow has a rate of 14.3 deaths per 100,000 people compared to an average for England and Wales of 4.4.