A woodwork teacher has won £130,000 from education bosses after claiming exposure to sawdust gave him asthma.

Today union officials said they hoped the case, believed to be the first of its kind, would act as 'a wake up call' to ensure teachers are adequately protected.

But education bosses fear the case may open the floodgates for similar claims from staff claiming their working environment has made them ill.

The unnamed teacher, who taught at a school in Accrington and is from Burnley, retired through ill health in February 2002.

The National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) took up the case and pursued Lancashire County Council for compensation.

A settlement of £130,000 has been agreed following negotiations with the education authority.

The union said the teacher contracted "industrial asthma at work" brought on by an unsuitable working environment over a considerable number of years.

In particular it said the man's breathing difficulties were triggered because he was "exposed to dust from woodworking procedures."

NASUWT's solicitors, argued that the man's condition was caused by "inadequate ventilation, the lack of protective equipment and inadequate warnings about the risks of being exposed to wood dust at the school."

And after winning its fight, the union called on local authorities to ensure school staff were adequately protected.

The East Lancashire teacher's case was the third in a series of health and safety compensation cases the union has won throughout the UK in recent weeks.

Lesley Ham, NASUWT Lancashire negotiating secretary said: "It should act as a wake-up call for local authorities. We have a number of these cases each year but I believe this is the first of its kind in East Lancashire.

"The fact is school buildings are not up to scratch and it is about time councils gave teachers the same protection regarding health and safety as people in industry get."

Chris Keates, the union's general secretary added: "How many more teachers will have to become too ill to work before all employers take their responsibility for the welfare of their employees seriously? Compensation is cold comfort when you can no longer do the job you loved and your health is damaged."

Lancashire County Council leader Hazel Harding admitted that the "compensation culture" was a growing worry for her and the council.

She said: "There is definitely an issue. It is my tax money and the taxes of the people in Lancashire that have to pay when claims are made."

Ex-teacher and Blackburn with Darwen councillor John Williams said he feared such payouts would spread to other authorities and added: "This sort of situation should never be allowed to happen.

"Tax payers money is invested in bureaucrats that complete health and safety checks and risk assessments so cases like this should not happen.

"It is like you are paying three times over, for a health and safety check, then for a risk assessment and then for a compensation pay out."