Asbestos campaigners demand reforms

Asbestos can cause a rare form of lung cancer

Asbestos victims in Greater Manchester are calling on the government to pay out more compensation to people suffering from asbestos-related illnesses.

The Greater Manchester Asbestos Victims Support Group has organised a conference at Manchester Airport on Wednesday to make the demand.

The group claims that people who have contracted asbestos-related lung cancer in other European countries get a better deal than those in the UK.

It uses the example of Germany - which has a similar industrial base and population to the UK - where 735 people received state benefits for asbestos-related cancer, compared to just 57 people in the UK.

It is calling on the government to relax the complex rules on paying out compensation so more sufferers can benefit and has branded the current system for getting money a "disgrace".

The conference, at the Radisson SAS Hotel at the airport, will draw together doctors, solicitors, families of victims and sufferers.