Kenneth Hicks, aged 78, worked at the former Parkgate Iron and Steel Works, now owned by Corus, for 33 years from 1953 until his retirement in 1989.

Mr Hicks, from Kimberworth, Rotherham, said the disease had completely changed his life.

The condition leaves him breathless after walking just a few yards, and he suffers from a constant cough that wakes him up throughout the night.

The father and grandfather of four said: "I was extremely active before. I had an allotment that I loved, I was a DIY fanatic and I also held down a part-time gardening job. I've had to give it all up.

"Two friends who worked alongside me have already lost their lives to this disease and I've been told that it is likely I could develop lung cancer.

"A lot has been said about exposure to asbestos in shipyards, mines and power stations but very little about the risk to those who worked in the steel industry."

Solicitor Simon Allen, from Sheffield law firm Russell, Jones and Walker representing Mr Hicks, said: "The steelworks were big employers in the area and it is very unlikely that he is the only one to have been exposed.

"The symptoms of asbestosis can take years to develop so there could be a sharp increase in the number of related diseases reported in South Yorkshire over the coming years."

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