A FIT and healthy retired painter and decorator "felt cheated" as his health quickly deteriorated as a result of asbestos exposure, an inquest heard.  

Victor John Coverdale worked in Barrow shipyard for 40 years before taking redundancy in 1992. 

The 85-year-old's love for walking and the outdoors continued into his retirement.

But the inquest into the dad-of-three's death heard that he died on July 13 at his home of 63 years in Salthouse Road, Barrow, having only been diagnosed with mesothelioma in March. 

A biopsy as recently as October last year had shown no sign of the disease. 

The hearing in Barrow Town Hall was attended by Mr Coverdale's wife Ruth, a retired shop assistant, and son Dave, a retired Cumbria Fire Service locality manager.

Mr Coverdale Jnr, who thanked the various authorities and health organisations who helped his dad and family, told the inquest: "Despite his old age, he was a fit man and despite the fact he was in a lot of pain towards the end, it was not so much the pain of the condition; he felt cheated and frustrated by the situation he had been put in, which was really none of his doing. 

"And that was a difficult thing for all of us, and dad, to take on board."

Mrs Coverdale said: "He said 'I've got so much more to do'. 

"We were still planning a lot more because both of us were reasonably fit for our age."

After leaving school at 14, Mr Coverdale delivered letters in the shipyard, before he served his painting apprenticeship at T Ward and Sons. 

He was then called up to the RAF as a fitter, before returning to Barrow shipyard as a painter and decorator in 1952, and worked there for four decades. 

A statement made by Mr Coverdale before his death described how asbestos was "everywhere". 

The statement added: "It was a material we would not even think about, because we didn't know it was dangerous. 

"I never used it directly, but I was exposed on a daily basis to asbestos dust through the work of other tradesmen."

Mr Robert Chapman, Cumbria assistant coroner, recorded a conclusion of death by industrial disease. 

He said: "It's a horrible disease and your husband is a typical example - in his 80s, worked at the shipyard for 30/40 years and it sort of sneaks up on you this disease. It's rare to see anybody who lives longer than 12 months from being diagnosed."

Figures released in August showed more people are dying of asbestos-related lung cancer in Barrow than anywhere else in England and Wales.

The death rate is three-and-a-half times the national average.