TRIBUTES have been paid to a former railway worker whose life was claimed by mesothelioma.

Peter Heavens was exposed to asbestos when working in the stamping shop as an apprentice fitter at the Great Western Railway Works in the 1940s.

He died last November after a short battle with mesothelioma, a type of cancer typically caused by exposure to asbestos. Solicitors Royds Withy King were able to win a six-figure compensation pot from the government, although it was not paid out until after Peter’s death.

Speaking ahead of Mesothelioma Action Day, Peter’s daughter Dawn Osborne paid tribute to her father.

Dawn, a librarian with Swindon Borough Council, said sister Jackie Young and her felt dad Peter was a major influence on their lives: “You don’t realise until your parents have gone the influence that they bring to your life in such a joyful way. He was a happy man. He was one of these people for whom the glass was always half full.

“That influence was so strong that I carry that inside me forever. I think how lucky was to have a father who was so loving and wonderful he opened my eyes to the world and taught me so many things.”

Old Town man Peter died aged 89. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in May 2017 after initially visiting doctors about having difficulty breathing. His condition rapidly worsened, as no treatment was available. He died at home surrounded by family in October.

Lawyers say the grandfather-of-five developed mesothelioma from his exposure to asbestos in the GWR Works, when Peter was made to remove lagging around pipes that was made from the fibrous material.

Subsequent careers sailing the world as a Merchant Navy officer and working in the Quality Assurance department at London Transport saw him have no more dealings with asbestos.

Jennifer Seavour, senior associate at firm Royds Withy King, said: “It was awful to hear about the working environment at the Swindon Railway Works from Peter. Whilst I have represented many men over the years that have been exposed to asbestos at the works, it never fails to shock me to hear about the working environment and how so many men were exposed to asbestos and their lives put in danger.

“Peter told me that he knew many other men who had worked with him and died from asbestos related diseases. He thought he had been one of the lucky ones but was also sadly diagnosed with the disease late in life.”

A six-figure compensation claim was settled in February, four months after Peter died. However, some interim compensation was paid before he died and used to adapt his home for increasingly less-mobile Peter. The rest of the compensation will be used to support Peter’s wife, Fiona. The couple, who had two children, married in Swindon in 1956.

Mesothelioma Action Day will be marked with a special commemoration event at Queen’s Park on Friday, July 6, at 11am.