A former Goodyear worker spoke from the grave at an inquest that backed his claim that he died from an industrial lung disease.

Norman Willington was employed over an 11-year period in the 1960s and 70s in a variety of different jobs at the Stafford Road plant in Wolverhampton.

He died last year, but completed a statement in the final weeks of his life to claim that his death was directly related to conditions he worked under at the tyre plant.

Goodyear is being sued for damages by Mr Willington’s family over claims he contracted industrial disease linked to asbestos.

The 59-year-old father-of-eight, from East Croft Road, Spring Hill, said in his written statement that he was never warned about the danger of asbestos dust.

In the statement, read out at his inquest yesterday, he said: “I believe that during each day of my employment at Goodyear I was exposed to asbestos dust and fibres that were used throughout the factory at different levels of the production process.

“The pipes were lagged with it and it was also in a powder that was used to stop the rubber sticking.

“It was impossible to avoid the dust that this created. It was always in the air.

“I have no doubt that I inhaled the asbestos on a daily basis.

“We were not told that asbestos was dangerous and just carried on with our work. There were no warnings and we were not given any protective equipment such as masks to wear.”

Mr Willington, who had 30 grandchildren, said in the statement made in connection with the damages claim, that his face, hair and clothes had regularly been covered in dust during one of the jobs that involved him brushing asbestos-covered water, steam and conduit pipes.

He stopped working for Goodyear in 1975 and was then employed by other firms but none of those jobs brought him into contact with asbestos, he said.

Mr Willington was forced to take early retirement on medical ground with a back injury around 1988 but fell seriously ill two years ago and was found to be suffering from the asbestos-related complaint mesothelioma.

He was admitted to New Cross Hospital as his condition deteriorated last July and died there on August 5.

The cause of death was given as pneumonia linked to mesothelioma that was related to previous exposure to asbestos.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. Malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body’s internal organs. Most people who develop the disease have worked in jobs where they inhaled asbestos dust or particles. Unlike lung cancer there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking.

Symptoms may not appear until between 20 and 50 years after exposure to asbestos.

They were first noticed in the case of Mr Willington around 30 years after he had stopped working with Goodyear. He developed a tumour in his intestine.

The time lag between exposure to asbestos and the development of the disease means that cases are still appearing even though the material has not been widely used since the 1980s. Wolverhampton city coroner Mr Richard Allen concluded: “I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that he was exposed to asbestos during the course of his work and that he died as a result of an industrial disease.”

Mr Willington’s widow Margaret said today: “He is missed very much every day by all his children and grandchildren.”

Her solicitor Mr Tariq Khan confirmed: “The family are pursuing civil court action against Goodyear over his death.”

Mr Robert Edwards, who represented Goodyear at the inquest, said after the hearing: “There is no statement from the company over this matter.”