SUFFERERS of mesothelioma have been reminded they can claim from a compensation scheme set up for those who contracted the asbestos related illness through work.

There has been a surge in cases in recent years as the illness, which can take decades to show symptoms, takes hold.

It is believed there are many people in Swindon who picked up the illness while working in and around the rail works before they shut in the 1980s.

Many other businesses have since closed down, leaving the victims feeling they have no way of getting recompense.

The new scheme, which came into force earlier this year, means victims are still able to claim compensation.

Anyone who was diagnosed with mesothelioma disease after July 25, 2012 is eligible for the scheme and across the country £15 million has already been paid out, with a total of £32 million by March next year.

Brigitte Chandler, a leading industrial disease lawyer with the law firm Charles Lucas & Marshall based in Swindon, said the scheme is good but she expected more people to respond.

She said: “I thought there would be more people who would come forward but perhaps more will come.

“I think because so much time has passed and whoever they worked for is no longer around, they think they are not entitled to anything. That is not the case and what this scheme is for.”

This year has seen several large payouts to the families of victims. In September, the widow of Albert Neil was given a payout of £170,000 from British Rail after he died from mesothelioma in 2011. Albert had previously spent 40 years working for the company in Swindon.

Diffuse mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of internal organs, such as the lungs, and almost always arises from exposure to asbestos. Life expectancy from diagnosis is eight to nine months on average.

The illness takes a long time to develop and it is sometimes 40 to 50 years after exposure before symptoms appear.

The advice to anyone who worked in and around the rail works is therefore that they get checked out if they are having breathing difficulties.

Brigitte said: “Even when the Swindon works closed in 1986, there was still asbestos in the building.

“Anybody who has worked in an environment where asbestos is present, no matter how long ago, and who is experiencing breathing problems or discomfort should seek medical opinion.”