A GRIEVING husband whose wife died as a result of exposure to asbestos from his overalls has received £187,500 in compensation.

Mother-of-three Yvonne Moaby died at her home in Quenington from mesothelioma, an incurable form of cancer caused by asbestos, in May 2010 aged 66.

An inquest later the same year found she had contracted the disease as a result of washing overalls belonging to her husband John – an electrician – which were covered in asbestos dust as a result of repairing and stripping out storage heaters.

John, 71, said he knew the compensation, which was secured after solicitor Brigitte Chandler of Swindon firm Charles Lucas and Marshall took the case to the High Court, would not bring his beloved wife back but he was glad the ordeal was over.

"It is nice," he said of the compensation, "but you can’t put a value on someone’s life. It’s taken such a long time and a lot of heartache."

The case was eventually settled out of court, with SSE plc (formerly Scottish & Southern Energy) agreeing the compensation figure.

Describing his wife as an unsung hero who worked tirelessly for the community, John said three years on he had still not recovered from losing her.

"Yvonne was an angel," he said. "She was my rock.

"Long before her illness she said to me ‘if I go first don’t sit around and vegetate – find someone else’.

"She was always there for me and it's only now I realise what she did."

He added they had managed to secure a £50,000 compensation payment while Yvonne was alive, which the couple spent on two exotic cruises before she became too ill to go away.

"She never complained once," said John. "She just kept saying ‘I’m not going anywhere’.

"She kept her looks and looked just as young as she did before she was ill."

Although Yvonne spent some time at a hospice in Swindon, she spent her last days at home surrounded by her family and friends.

People suffering from diseases as a result of expose to the material and their families can get free advice from the Swindon and South West Asbestos Group on 01793 532 905 or via asbestosgroup.co.uk