STATISTICS unveiled by the Health and Safety Executive show an increase in the number of people in Cumbria who have died from asbestos cancer mesothelioma.

The figures show that more than 300 men in Cumbria died from the disease from 1985 to 2004. The figure is increased from 248 deaths between 1981 to 2000.

Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos dust and the disease can lie dormant for decades.