A WIDOW is waiting to hear if her husband died as a result of exposure to asbestos.

An inquest heard how Jack Heys, 58, of Grindlestone Hurst, Nelson, died three days after Christmas when he collapsed on the stairs at home.

Mr Heys was a fabrication worker at Gissing and Lonsdale. He was described by his wife, Joan, as being fit and active until recently when he started suffering from severe back pains.

He went to the doctors two years ago complaining of the pains, which were making him breathless and making it difficult for him to walk.

Mr Heys was taken to hospital in May last year and from then on he had so much difficulty in walking that he could not get around without a wheelchair.

His wife told the inquest she had no idea he had ever worked with asbestos and said: "He just told me he'd been doing dirty jobs and I wasn't to touch his clothes because of the prickly stuff. He never said he worked with asbestos."

Coroner David Smith said early indications were that Mr Heys had died as a result of a malignant tumour on his right lung but adjourned proceedings until test results returned from the pathologist.