Leading Tyneside based asbestos disease specialists Thompsons Solicitors revealed this week that its specialist asbestos litigation team in Newcastle successfully secured over £10 million in compensation for people suffering from asbestos-related diseases in the North East in 2016, in what drives home a reminder of the region’s devastating legacy of asbestos exposure.

In the last 12 months, more than £10.6m was recovered by the law firm on behalf of victims of asbestos disease and their families from the North East.

The North East of England has among the highest incidence of asbestos-related deaths in the UK. Official figures show that North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Newcastle have higher than average death rates for mesothelioma, a fatal asbestos-related cancer.

Mesothelioma continues to impact thousands of workers in North East who were exposed to asbestos, particularly at the height of the shipbuilding era, at numerous shipyards on the Rivers Tyne, Wear and Tees.

Asbestos exposure is the single greatest cause of work related deaths in the UK and, according to the Health and Safety Executive leads to nearly 2,500 deaths every year.

Ian McFall, national head of asbestos litigation at Thompsons Solicitors, said: “We are the most experienced law firm at holding negligent employers and their insurers to account and our record of securing the maximum amount of compensation for our clients in the shortest possible time is second to none.

“Our specialist legal team has worked tirelessly to support clients in North East England where the deadly effects of asbestos disease from shipyards and other industries has caused irreparable damage to the health of workers and devastated the lives of families who have lost loved ones to fatal disease.”