Asbestos at the Tices Meadow estate in Aldershot may have led to the death of a woman who used to live and work there.

The victim, who worked on the estate as it was redeveloped in the 1970s, died of mesothelioma, a form of cancer often caused by inhaling fibres.

A Cardiff-based law firm representing her family contacted Heron Wood councillor Mike Roberts to see whether he was aware of anyone else who had shown symptoms of the disease, as they often do not appear until 20 or 30 years after exposure to asbestos.

He had not, but the councillor is now appealing for anyone who has suffered any asbestos-related illness and lived or worked on the estate in the 1970s to contact him.

“It can take up to 20 years after breathing in asbestos fibres for someone to feel the effects,” he said.

The woman, who Cllr Roberts did not want to name, had lived in Selbourne Avenue in the 1970s and worked at a canteen for builders who were rebuilding and refurbishing much of the estate from 1976 to 1978.

Asbestos on the estate was either removed or made safe during the refurbishment, but its dangers were not fully understood at the time.

Cllr Roberts said: “She worked there for three years and builders would have been coming in and out all the time covered in asbestos fibres.

“It could have come off their clothes and into the air where she and others could have breathed them in.

“Did workers on the site or the back-up staff suffer from exposure to asbestos particles that are now beginning to manifest themselves in health issues and worse? Were residents of the time similarly affected by the works and the proper lack of a duty of care?"

Anyone who lived or worked on the estate and has suffered asbestos-related illness, or who knows someone who has, can contact Cllr Roberts on 01252 345737 or e-mail mike.roberts@rushmoor.gov.uk

For more on this story, see next week's Aldershot News, out on Tuesday, November 25.