HUNDREDS of asbestos victims will find out today if their claims for compensation have been successful.

A High Court appeal judgement is expected to bring to an end a long battle by former workers from shipyards and the construction industry.

Laurence Purvis, 69, is one of the many people from the North-East whose wait will be over.

Mr Purvis, from Sunderland, was an apprentice electrician in the days when the industry took little or no precautions to prevent contamination from deadly asbestos fallout.

Less than a year ago, a persistent cough led him to undergo x-rays and CT scans, which revealed a condition known as pleural plaques - a disc of thick scar tissue on the lung.

The condition, which is a result of contact with asbestos, is benign, but often develops into mesothelioma, a terminal cancer.

Until recently, sufferers of pleural plaque have been entitled to compensation, but a recent High Court judgement saw payouts reduced.

The move prompted a number of victims to take the matter to appeal, which, in turn, sparked a cross-appeal from insurance companies, which believe compensation should only be paid when there is an additional complication.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, which is fighting for the sufferers, is pressing for compensation for all those with pleural plaques.

Roger Maddocks, a partner at the firm's Newcastle office and a legal expert on industrial diseases, said: "Pleural plaques are a marker of unprotected exposure to asbestos. This exposure is almost always a direct result of negligence on the part of sufferer's employers.

"The availability of compensation in respect of this condition is a basic human right."

He added: "People diagnosed with pleural plaques have to live with the fear produced by the knowledge they could develop a terminal cancer such as mesothelioma.

Mr Purvis said: "The money won't cure what I've got, but it will make life a little easier.

"It has created great anxiety in my family and the insurance companies' action is therefore a bitter pill to swallow."

Sally Leeman, of the Norwich Union insurance company, said: "All sides agree that the presence of pleural plaques is an indicator of exposure to asbestos to some degree, but that there are no symptoms and nor does it mean you will go on to suffer from asbestos disease in the future."

She said her company, along with the Zurich insurance firm, were, therefore, seeking clarity as to whether compensation should be paid if there were no additional problems.

Ahead of today's ruling, Mr Maddocks said: "We are hoping it will compel the insurance industry to face up to its responsibilities and acknowledge the very real anxiety asbestos victims with pleural plaques endure.