A NEWPORT man says he lost his wife to an asbestos-related disease after she breathed in the potentially-deadly fibres from her father's clothes.

And he says it was the same disease that claimed the life of his sister-in-law.

Terry Tobin, of Balmoral Road, lost his sister-in-law Beryl, 76, to suspected mesothelioma two weeks ago, almost a year after the cancer claimed the life of his wife Dorothy, aged 74.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer which develops in the tissues covering the lungs or abdomen.

The disease affects around 1,800 people in the UK each year. Many thousands are affected by other asbestos-related diseases including lung cancer.

Mr Tobin, 76, said: "The cancer has devastated one side of the family." Mr Tobin claims the only exposure both Dorothy and Beryl could have had to asbestos was in childhood when the sisters used to sit on the lap of their father, Jim Pottinger, and breathed in fibres of asbestos attached to his clothes.

Mr Pottinger died in 1969, aged 67, from a suspected asbestos-related cancer. He had worked as a cladder at the now closed Newalls Insulation in Newport.

Dorothy and Beryl's brother, Jack Pottinger, 72, who also worked at Newalls, died of mesothelioma in 1999.

A spokesman for Cancer Research UK said: "The family has suffered a horrible tragedy."

Mr Tobin's wife fell ill in 2002 after she became short of breath while out walking. Initially, her condition puzzled doctors but she was later diagnosed with the disease and given six months to live.

"We never suspected what it could be," said the former Eveswell School pupil and RAF serviceman who has three children and four grandchildren. "Doctors said it was rare for someone of her age to be diagnosed with the disease."

In 2003, Dorothy underwent major surgery to prolong her life so she could celebrate her golden wedding anniversary but lost her battle in May 2005, just months short of the date.

The operation to prolong her life involved removing ribs and a tumour in her lungs.

Mr Tobin said: "She thought she was going to make it to our anniversary but died suddenly - I was devastated and it has left a massive hole in my life.

"She did suffer but she always had a smile for everyone and never complained. We had a wonderful married life together."

Mr Tobin said he hoped, after seeing first hand the suffering the disease can cause, that there will be more research into finding a cure. "Nothing can bring her back but I hope further research will improve early diagnosis and treatment."