Insurers refuse asbestos claims

Asbestos dust can kill those who breathe it in

The insurance company Royal and Sun Alliance is refusing to pay compensation to victims of asbestos dust who worked in the Clyde shipyards.

The company has denied claims that the law was broken when it issued insurance certificates to an asbestos manufacturer - but excluded asbestosis from the cover.

Turner and Newall, which employed the men, were involved in the manufacture of asbestos and coating pipework.

Many former employees subsequently developed incurable diseases related to the dust.

Lawyers acting for sufferers say that from 1972 to 1977, Royal and Sun Alliance (formerly Royal Insurance) issued certificates to Turner and Newall, excluding asbestosis.

Company 'self-insured'

The lawyers claim that was illegal and Royal and Sun Alliance should now pay up.

But in a statement issued on Wednesday, the insurance company insisted the Royal had not broken the law.

The company excluded asbestos-related injury because it was a risk it was not willing to underwrite and Turner and Newall was self-insured against asbestosis.

The lawyer for those affected, Frank McGuire, said they had already applied through the courts for documents which would prove Royal were liable.