Compensation for palace asbestos death

The High Court has awarded almost £180,000 in compensation to the widow of a Palace maintenance worker whose husband died after exposure to asbestos at Buckingham Palace. Mary Costello's husband John, a maintenance worker, died at the age of 58 in September, 2001 of the fatal asbestos-related disease mesothelioma.

Mr Costello, who lived in the Victoria area of central London, worked at Buckingham Palace as a fitter and a maintenance engineer between 1970 and 1992.

Lawyers for his widow said that a breach of duty of care had been admitted by the Treasury Solicitors.

Mr Costello's 59-year-old widow sought compensation to cover the cost of her husband's care and loss of earnings.
She had to give up work as a child minder to care for him at home.

Mrs Costello's solicitors said: "It is now feared that more people who worked at the palace in the 1970s and 1980s could be suffering from similar illnesses as at least one further palace worker has died from an asbestos disease."

Have you lost a loved one in similar circumstances? Get in touch.