Six-figure sum for chef exposed to asbestos (From Salisbury Journal)

Six-figure sum for chef exposed to asbestos

10:14am Tuesday 5th July 2011 in News

AN Italian chef who worked with pizza ovens with asbestos seals in a Salisbury restaurant has received a six figure sum in compensation after he was diagnosed with terminal mesothelioma.

Luigi Pes, 60, worked at the former La Gondola restaurant in Fisherton Street until 2001.

During the 1980s he was exposed to asbestos both in the seals of the pizza oven and in a storeroom where the ceiling contained the hazardous material.

Mr Pes says he was not warned about the dangers that asbestos could pose to his health and in February 2008 he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs.

Mr Pes, who lives in Salisbury and is married with two adult children, felt his former employers were to blame for the working conditions that made him terminally ill.

His claim was settled out of court.

Mr Pes said: “For many years I worked there with no idea about the damage asbestos could do to my health. In later years when I became aware about the dangers of asbestos, I had an idea that I had been exposed but I never expected that I would end up with this disease.

“Despite my progressive illness and the restrictions it brings, I’m doing my best to enjoy each day I have left. I’m not angry but I do feel strongly that more should have been done to protect me from getting this disease.”

Stephen Loach from Thompsons Solicitors said: “I investigated the case for Mr Pes urgently and pursued it vigorously so that he could benefit from the compensation during his lifetime. While this will never make up for Mr Pes’ poor health it will at least afford him some financial relief and the knowledge that the employers who caused his suffering have been held to account.”

La Gondola restaurant was sold to new owners in 2001 and closed in 2005.