TRADESMAN are being warned about the dangers of asbestos after figures showed the North-East has among the highest death rates in the UK.

North and South Tyneside, followed closely by Sunderland, Newcastle, Stockton and Gateshead, saw massive increases in asbestos-related deaths between 1981 and 2005.

In the North-East as a whole, 2,087 men lost their lives to the deadly disease during that 25 years, compared to 300 women.

And while the figures were lower in North Yorkshire, the number of men who died as a result of mesothelioma in York in that period was a high 114.

The statistics were revealed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as part of it’s latest campaign – Asbestos: The Hidden Killer – which is running until mid-November and aims to reduce the rising death rate through education.

The region’s HSE principal inspector, Chris Gillies, said: “We need to educate tradesmen about how asbestos and its dangers are relevant to them.

“We want them to change the way they work so that they don’t put their lives at risk.

“Exposure to asbestos is the biggest single cause of work-related deaths, with about 4,000 people a year dying from asbestos-related disease.

“The overall number of deaths is rising because a large number of workers who have already been exposed to asbestos dust around 40 years ago will go on to develop mesothelioma, a terminal cancer, or other asbestos-related diseases.”

Stockton saw the highest death rate on Teesside, with 154 male deaths and 17 women.

But North Tyneside recorded 315 male deaths, while South Tyneside saw 240 men dying.

However, Sunderland saw one of the greatest numbers of women die from the disease in the country, recording 97 female deaths, while Newcastle had 42.

The HSE has ranked local authorities across the country using the number of people who have already died as a result of exposure to asbestos, along with calculations that suggest there are areas where a higher than expected number of deaths may occur in the future.

As a result, Hartlepool has been ranked in the top 20 places in the UK where it is anticipated the deaths will be above the expected average, along with Newcastle, Sunderland, South Tyneside and North Tyneside.

Posters and radio adverts will encourage tradesmen to get a free asbestos information pack by calling 0845-345-0055 or by visiting the website hse.gov.uk/hiddenkiller