Cancer woman's death 'accidental'

After the hearing Mary Bush said her daughter "should still be here"

The death of a woman from cancer years after playing in ash from a fire at a building containing asbestos was an accident, an inquest has ruled.

Ellen Paddock, 31, died in July believing her cancer was the result of the blaze at the MoD base near her home in Donnington, Shropshire, in 1983.

The jury ruled she died accidentally due to exposure to the ash.

It heard the MoD had initially denied asbestos was on the site, which meant the clean up was delayed for five days.

The debris was scattered over a 15 mile radius around Telford when the roof of the building at the Central Ordnance Depot in Donnington went up in flames.

We just thought it was snowing in summer Sharon Bush, sister

Her father, Alan Bush, described how the children believed the ashes were snow, and ran around catching it on their tongues.

Medical evidence produced at the inquest said it was "highly likely" that Ms Paddock's illness was caused by exposure to asbestos.

But it was also admitted that this could have been caused earlier in her life when her father worked on the manufacture of brake pads at the Rubery Owen plant in Wrexham.

A preliminary inquest hearing was told mother-of-three Ms Paddock, who had started legal action against the MoD, died of broncho-pneumonia and an asbestos-related cancer.

Ms Paddock's sister, Sharon Bush, had also played in the ashes in 1983.

'Learned lessons'

She said: "We were just playing around, we didn't know what it was.

"We just thought it was snowing in summer."

John Ellery, the coroner for Mid and North Shropshire, said the jury's decision "may well have wider public health considerations" in case any further deaths related to the Donnington fire were reported.

After the hearing Ms Paddock's mother Mary Bush said: "She should still be here now. It should never have happened."

John Sweetland, an environmental officer at Telford and Wrekin Council, had told the jury that the MoD initially denied asbestos was on the site.

The MoD said in a statement it sympathised with Ms Paddock's family and was "saddened" at her death.

It added: "The Ministry of Defence has noted the comments made by the coroner and has learned lessons from this tragic accident.

"The Ministry of Defence takes the health and safety of its staff and neighbours very seriously and considerable work has been put in to ensure that the risk of such an accident happening again is minimised."