Mesothelioma

Mr Allen, of Wooton Basset, was represented by Brigitte Chandler of Charles Lucas & Marshall, who has been bringing asbestos claims against companies for 30 years.

Miss Chandler said: "Due to Mr Allen's illness we had to progress this claim very quickly.

We were able to obtain early judgment against the defendants who finally agreed to settle the night before the trial, when the damages would have been assessed." Mr Allen, 70, worked for British Rail from July 1954 until April 1961, apart for two years between 1958 and 1960.

Over the course of his employment he worked in a number of different places where he was exposed to asbestos.

advertisement This included the notorious Seven Shop where lethal blue asbestos was sprayed on to the coaches.

He had to fix brackets at the top of coach frames and work near pipe fitters that were lagging pipes with asbestos.

He also worked in the Fifteen Shop where he had to plate bending metal and where there were other people working with asbestos on the welding.

Mr Allen also worked in the Twenty Four Shop where he worked on coaches containing pipes lagged with asbestos.

Generally he worked near steam pipes that were covered in asbestos lagging which often burst or leaked, necessitating the removal of the asbestos lagging when he was nearby.

Between 1961 and 1998 he worked for Pr...