The relatives of a woman who died of mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos as a schoolgirl, have won compensation in a landmark ruling.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the family of Dianne Willmore are entitled to £240,000 in damages in a case which is the first payout for a former school pupil after being exposed to asbestos.

The exposure occurred during Mrs Willmore's time as a pupil at Bowring School in Knowsley in the 1970s. She died of mesothelioma, aged 49, two years ago, just hours after a judge at Liverpool Crown Court awarded her the damages of £240,000 against Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council. The council appealed but the Supreme Court has now upheld the original decision.

The ruling is expected to lead to a flood of asbestos claims from others who were exposed to the fibres when at school. Campaigners have warned that 11,000 former pupils will die of mesothelioma within decades and have said that asbestos is still a serious problem in schools.

Michael Lees, director of campaign group Asbestos in Schools, said: "This case is very important. It will open the floodgates for thousands of claimants over the next few decades. We're sitting on an asbestos time bomb. Tragically thousands of former pupils are set to die following exposure to it."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1364995/Family-woman-died-exposed-asbestos-school-pupil-awarded-240-000-Supreme-Court.html