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Widow gains 'justice'

The widow of a teacher who died after being exposed to asbestos during 26 years of work at an Eastbourne school has spoken of her relief after securing justice from the local council over his illness.

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Council say they take 'asbestos management very seriously'

East Sussex County Council is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for pupils to learn and for employees to work. As such, we take our responsibilities in relation to asbestos management very seriously and comply with all statutory guidance released by the Health and Safety Executive. All ESCC owned and occupied buildings, including schools, are surveyed by specialist licensed consultants for asbestos containing materials (ACM) on a regular basis through a rolling programme."

– East Sussex County Council spokesman

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Impact of illness was 'unbearable', says widow

Losing Clive to mesothelioma was devastating and my family and I have been determined to get the answers we feel we deserve over his death. To see the impact that the illness had on him was unbearable and it is difficult to take when nowadays the risks of being exposed to asbestos are so well known.

It has been a difficult few years but we are relieved this legal battle is now over. Nothing will ever bring Clive back but we felt it was important to get justice over everything he has faced.”

– Sue Beck, Clive Beck's widow

Asbestos killed teacher 'doing a job he loved'

Clive Beck worked at Ratton School between 1972 and 1998 Credit: Irwin Mitchell LLP

Sarah Wolf, the legal expert at Irwin Mitchell’s who represented Mrs Beck, said: “Perhaps the most tragic aspect of Clive’s story is that he was exposed to asbestos while doing a job he loved at a school where he worked tirelessly for more than a quarter of a decade.”

Widow sues East Sussex Council over husband's death

The widow of a teacher who died from mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos during 26 years of work at an Eastbourne school, has spoken of her relief after securing justice from the local council over his illness.

Clive Beck, who was Head of History at Ratton School between 1972 and 1998, died aged 71 in April 2009, around 18 months after he was diagnosed with the incurable cancer of the lining of the lung.

His widow Sue, 70, launched a legal bid against East Sussex County Council over concerns that more could have been done to protect Mr Beck from inhaling asbestos fibres at the school during his career. Mrs Beck and her family have received an an out-of-court settlement.

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