Spodden Valley to feature on BBC television this weekend

Exposed asbestos in the Spodden Valley

Spodden Valley, the site of what was once the world's largest asbestos factory, will feature on the BBC Politics Show this Sunday.

The Turner Brothers site will form the centre of a report on the injustices that have been caused to workers who have suffered as a result of exposure to asbestos dust.

The television report will centre on a legal issue where the House of Lords ruled that a condition known as pleural plaques, a scarring of the lungs caused by significant exposure to asbestos dust, is not classed in law as "damage".

The only way to reverse the decision of the Law Lords and return to a position that asbestos victims have had for the past 30 years is for Parliament to act.

Pleural plaques and asbestos was an issue debated in Parliament recently and included a contribution from Rochdale MP Paul Rowen. The question of reversing the House of Lord's ruling was made by Mick Clapham MP at Prime Minister's Question Time last week.

According to Gordon Brown, there has been consultation and a Government decision is expected soon.

The BBC filmed the former Turners factory in the Spodden Valley as it is acknowledged that many of the products and decisions that have caused so much damage to health were made on this site.

Save Spodden Valley campaign co-ordinator Jason Addy said: "The ongoing coverage by the BBC demonstrates that the injustices and damage caused by the legacy of Asbestos remains an important topic.

"As the Save Spodden Valley campaign approaches our fifth year, it vindicates the hard work of campaigners and politicians, of all parties, to ensure a safe future for the Spodden Valley and to acknowledge that asbestos contamination, and the people it can harm, are treated with the upmost resepect."

The Politics Show is broadcast this Sunday on BBC1 at noon.