Cornwall Council admits liability over Redruth man’s asbestos cancer

A retirement spent gardening, fishing and wood turning was the plan. A terminal cancer diagnosis, more than 40 years after he worked with asbestos for Cornwall Council, was not.

Mike Hosking, 74, from Pool near Redruth, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2024. His solicitors say the incurable cancer was caused by asbestos he was exposed to while working as a plumber and maintenance worker for Cornwall Council during the 1980s.

His claim, brought by the South West asbestos team at Thompsons Solicitors, settled for an undisclosed sum in April 2026, shortly before it was due to go to trial. The Council admitted liability for his exposure.

From routine duties to a terminal diagnosis

For Mike and his wife Pam, who have been married since 1977, the diagnosis came as a devastating shock.

He had worked hard throughout his life and was looking forward to retirement with a growing family. A keen gardener, fisherman, clay pigeon shooter and talented wood turner, he had spent years on the hobbies he loved and time with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

That changed in the summer of 2024, when he began experiencing increasing breathlessness while walking. Doctors at Royal Cornwall Hospital discovered fluid on his lung, and a biopsy confirmed mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused by asbestos exposure.

He began immunotherapy in January 2025 and, although responding well, the disease has forced him to give up many of the activities that once defined his retirement. Tasks that were once second nature now take far longer. Some hobbies have become impossible altogether.

Exposed while doing the job

Investigations by Thompsons Solicitors established that during his employment with the Council, Mike was regularly exposed to asbestos while removing lagged pipework, breaking up asbestos-lined cookers and handling asbestos rope and insulation.

According to the firm, the work formed part of his routine duties and was often carried out without protective equipment, training or warnings about the dangers of asbestos.

Mesothelioma can take decades to develop following exposure, which means many people are only diagnosed long after the failings that caused their illness occurred.

Amanda Jones, Head of Asbestos at Thompsons Solicitors, said Mike’s diagnosis was another reminder that asbestos exposure is not simply a problem of the past.

“For years he carried out essential work for the Council without being warned about the risks he faced. Decades later, he and his family are living with the consequences,” she said.

“No one should have to spend their retirement battling a terminal illness caused by preventable workplace exposure. While nothing can change what has happened to Mike, it is important that organisations are held accountable when workers have been exposed to dangerous substances and that those affected understand their legal rights.”

“Mesothelioma changes everything”

Speaking about his diagnosis and the impact it has had, Mike said the illness had taken away much of the life he had planned.

“I’ve always worked hard and just carried on, but mesothelioma changes everything. I’ve got eight grandchildren and a three-year-old great-grandchild, and I can’t play with them the way I used to,” he said.

“I still like to keep myself busy, but I used to spend my retirement gardening, fishing, clay pigeon shooting and I just don’t have the energy for many of the things I loved anymore. It’s not just the diagnosis you have to deal with. It’s the loss of the life you thought you’d have in retirement.”

A cost still being counted

Mike’s story is not unique. The latest Health and Safety Executive figures show that 2,146 people died from mesothelioma in 2024 as a result of past asbestos exposure, a reminder of the lasting human cost of workplace exposure to dangerous substances.

Despite his diagnosis, Mike continues to pursue his passion for wood turning where he can. He recently donated handmade pieces to support fundraising by the South West Asbestos Support Awareness Group (SWASAG).

For his family, the settlement can never make up for the challenges and uncertainty they continue to face.

“I’m from a generation that says, ‘It is what it is, you just get on with things, don’t you?’ But what’s hard to accept is that the Council should have known there was a risk and they didn’t do anything about it,” Mike said.

📷Mr Hosking along with his wife Pam