MIKE Amesbury has raised the case of late Northwich Town Council member Brian Jamieson in a call for greater awareness of mesothelioma.

Brian – a community stalwart who represented Northwich in a number of civic and voluntary roles – died in November aged 78.

He had campaigned for Labour in west Cheshire for more than 40 years, and served Northwich Town Council, the Russett School and Vale Royal Borough Council.

In a Commons committee hearing on Wednesday about payments to victims of lung disease, Mike said: “My good friend who passed away was Brian Jamieson, he was an active trade unionist and worked on Trafford Park where he unfortunately acquired the disease.

“Tragically, only five in 100 people survive the cancer for more than five years.

“The damage caused by asbestos is widely seen as one of the biggest public health crises in this country.

“It has ruined lives across the country, not just for sufferers themselves, but for their families, friends and their communities.

“The DWP has suggested that 53,000 people will die from mesothelioma between 2013 and 2037.”

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the lining that covers the outer surface of some of the body's organs. It is usually linked to asbestos exposure.