THE family of a former clothing factory worker, who died from industrial disease, are appealing for witnesses to help explain how she became exposed to asbestos.

Mother-of-four Marjorie Bleasby worked as a cutter at Alexandre’s clothing factory, on Darlington’s Faverdale industrial estate, from 1954 to 1959, starting as a 16-year-old.

She began suffering from breathing problems in 2019 and was diagnosed with malignant epithelioid mesothelioma a year later. The much-loved grandma and great-grandma died, aged 82, on February 6, 2021, with an inquest concluding that the cause of death was industrial disease.

Most mesotheliomas are caused by occupational exposure to asbestos and Marjorie’s family has engaged lawyers to help find out how she was exposed to the disease, and to seek damages.

Her daughter, Sue Miller, said: “She went very quickly from being a fit woman who could walk for miles to not being able to walk round the block. It’s a cruel disease and, because it happened during the Covid-19 pandemic, she didn’t get the care and support she needed.

“It was utterly heartbreaking to see, and we want to get to the truth, not just to achieve justice for our mother, but to raise awareness for others who may have been affected.”

With the support of Thompson and Co. Solicitors, the family are appealing for former employees of Alexandre’s, or relatives of people who worked there, to get in touch.

Marjorie was born and raised in Darlington, the daughter of John and Rose Bleasby, of Lansdown Street. Her father worked at the North Road railways works.

In 1959, Marjorie married John Austin, who was a service manager at Whessoe Engineering and worked all over the world.

After Alexandre’s, she worked for many years behind the bar at Hopetown and Whessoe Workingmen’s Club.

Doctors initially suggested that her decline in health may have been sparked by grief when her husband died in 2018. Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were later put forward as possible causes of her illness, and she was given an inhaler to use.

However, in September 2020, she was admitted to Darlington Memorial Hospital with fluid on her lung, and she was asked for the first time if she had been in contact with asbestos. The diagnosis of malignant epithelioid mesothelioma was made after she was referred for a biopsy at James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough.

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Marjorie’s job at Alexandre’s was cutting lapels and collars for men’s suits, and Philip Thompson, of Thompson and Co, said the basis of a claim for damages was that “not only was she exposed to asbestos but she also was not provided with any respiratory protection or given any warnings about the dangers of asbestos”.

Alexandre’s clothing factory, along with houses around it, was built in 1949. After the factory closed, the site was developed for housing in the late 1970s, becoming Mulheim and Amiens Close.

  • Anyone with any information is asked to contact Philip Thompson at Thompson & Co Solicitors on 0191 565 6290.