SHE was a devoted wife and mother who lovingly washed her husband’s clothes when he returned from a hard day’s graft.

But little did Mary Pointer know that inside those dusty overalls lurked tiny fibres of a deadly material which would silently build up in her lungs and eventually kill her.

Now the pensioner’s family have made the next step to seek justice for her death by launching legal action against the former Hampshire power station where he worked.

Mrs Pointer, formerly from Hythe, died from the industrial disease mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos fibres.

Now, in a landmark case, lawyers are preparing legal proceedings on behalf of her son against energy giant Eon.

It comes after an inquest heard how the mother indirectly came into contact with the deadly material while washing clothing worn by her late husband Ronald who served at the Central Electricity Generating Board in the old Marchwood Power Station (pictured below) for around 25 years.

Daily Echo:

Eon was formerly called PowerGen, which had been allocated the power station when the electricity board was privatised in 1989, and the station was eventually decommissioned and a new one built.

Mrs Pointer, who lived in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, died in April last year aged 86 from the aggressive disease which attacks the lining of the lungs.

It followed Mr Pointer, her husband of 45 years, dying in 1999, aged 85.

He had worked in the Oceanic Way station’s boiler room and as a turbine operator from 1955 to 1970.
Specialist asbestos-related disease lawyers Irwin Mitchell have issued legal proceedings against Eon in a bid to secure justice for her death.

It is on the behalf of her son Darryl who instructed the law firm Irwin Mitchell to investigate her exposure to asbestos.

Mary explained before her death that his overalls were often covered in dust which she would regularly inhale when shaking them out and washing them.

Darryl Pointer, 50, said: “I was absolutely distraught seeing my mum deteriorate so quickly and seeing her go through so much pain at the end of her life.

“She was a devoted wife and mother, but she was not warned of the dangers of asbestos and shouldn’t have been in a position to be exposed to the deadly dust.

“No amount of money will make up for the loss of my mum, but we hope that by issuing court proceedings we will be able to secure justice for her and honour her memory after losing her in such a terrible way.”

Roger Maddocks, a partner in the asbestos-related disease team at Irwin Mitchell, said: “This is a tragic case in which a widow died of mesothelioma caused simply by inhaling asbestos dust as she cleaned her husband’s overalls and their bedding in the 1960s.

“Darryl is devastated by the loss of his mother, particularly as the disease was caused by her taking care of her family.”

An Eon spokeswoman confirmed the firm had received legal proceedings but said it was “inappropriate” to discuss further details.