ALMOST every day someone in the North dies as a result of working with asbestos, according to a report.

The region's industrial heritage has saddled it with the highest death rate from asbestos-related diseases in the country, through the widespread use of the deadly substance in shipbuilding and engineering.

And the plight of victims has prompted trade union leaders to launch a major campaign today, aimed at highlighting the dangers which still exist and winning compensation for sufferers. Figures compiled by the TUC show that 1,344 people have died from asbestos related illnesses in the North since 1997.

Tyne and Wear has the highest death rate of any English district, with 768 victims in the last four years, and figures for the four local authorities in Cleveland make that former county the fifth worst in the country.

Nationwide, 4,500 people die from asbestos-related disease every year. This figure is expected to rise to 10,000 a year by 2020.

TUC northern regional secretary Paul Nowak said: "The tragedy is that many more people who were exposed years ago will die whatever we do now, so for them the priority must be to get them the compensation they are rightly entitled to.

"No amount of money is going to bring their health back, but it will at least let them end their lives knowing that provision has been made for their loved ones."

Victims of asbestos are entitled to compensation but the collapse of insurance company Chester Street has left many claims in limbo.

The TUC is calling on the insurance industry to settle the outstanding claims as quickly as possible.

It is also urging employers to ensure workers are protected from the effects of asbestos, which was widely used in buildings until the 1980s. Nationally, an estimated 1.4 million buildings still contain asbestos, although it is not harmful unless it is damaged, when fibres and dust are released into the air.

Dr Steve Murphy, chest physician at South Cleveland Hospital in Middlesbrough, said malignant mesothelioma was the nastiest of the asbestos-related illnesses.

"This is by far the most depressing condition most physicians would deal with," he said. "There is no effective treatment.

"We're now seeing an epidemic of mesothelioma and it will be about 2020 before it reaches a peak."