ONE of the last surviving team members from a squad of plumbers based at British Cellophane has died of asbestosis, an inquest heard.

Robert Taylor, 86, of Whinlatter Drive, Barrow died on September 14, 2015 after being rushed to hospital with a shortness of breath and chest pains.

His son, Anthony Taylor, told the inquest he believed his father to be one of the last remaining members from the team of plumbers he worked alongside - all of whom have succumbed to asbestosis.

Mr Taylor worked at the factory from 1959 until he was made redundant in the 1990s and only his manager Stan Williams is thought to outlive him.

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In his evidence Mr Taylor, who is also a plumber, told the inquest how he believed asbestos to be commonplace in his dad's workshop.

He said: "I know when I was a child he used to take me to work at British Cellophane and I would sit in his office, it was a big dark workshop and if you looked up you could see the trail of particles and dust which I didn't know at the time but now know to be asbestos.

"He told me he was exposed to it, and we spoke about it because we knew people who had died.

"It's one of them things and you don't know what will happen until 20 years later."

The father-of-two had a history of asbestos exposure, working as an apprentice plumber for Vickers before moving to British Cellophane where he eventually became head foreman.

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Mr Taylor had been in and out of hospital suffering from a range of respiratory conditions, angina, pneumonia and was diagnosed with pleural plaques, a common indication of asbestos exposure.

During the mid-1980s asbestos was banned in the UK but before this was present in many products used for installation.

Plumbers were often exposed by breathing in dust released from compressed asbestos fibres (CAF).

Assistant Coroner for Cumbria, Robert Chapman thanked Mr Taylor for his evidence following very technical and sometimes unclear information from the various medical evidence.

He ruled that the cause of death was respiratory failure and respiratory asbestosis.

Mr Chapman added: "It sounds like your father went downhill quite quickly and there was nothing which could be done for him.

"Without your help it would have been difficult to come to these conclusions."

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