A BUILDER who had served an apprenticeship at a Flintshire factory where asbestos was used almost 50 years ago died as a result of industrial disease, an inquest heard.

Laurence Jones, 68, of Coleshill Fechan, Bagillt, had been an apprentice at Courtaulds in Greenfield in 1974 and 1975.

In a statement from Mr Jones himself, the inquest heard that he had been present when asbestos was used for lagging pipes and that he was often required to crawl through the pipes.

He also worked with heat-resistant cement that he believed would have contained asbestos and that no personal protective equipment was used. When the cement was poured from sacks to be mixed with water it would fill the air.

The Greenfield site was closed and demolished in the 1980s.

Assistant coroner for North Wales (East and Central) David Pojur said: "He describes how he was in close proximity to the hazardous stuff and that's how he was exposed.

"I accept what he had to say without question."

Mr Jones had been treated with radiotherapy after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a type of cancer usually linked to asbestos exposure, until his irregular heartbeat meant it had to stop.

He passed away at St Kentigern Hospice, St Asaph, on October 11, 2020.

His wife Debbie Jones described him as a good man and said that they had enjoyed good times together before he became ill.