CANDLES have been lit in a twilight vigil to raise awareness of the growing number of people in the region dying from an asbestos-related disease.

Hundreds of North-East people die every year from mesothelioma, a form of terminal lung cancer.

Mesothelioma affects the membrane lining of the chest and leads to symptoms of breathlessness and chest pain.

Symptoms can first appear within ten years of exposure to asbestos.

Attending the River Tyne vigil at HMS Calliope was Christine Knighton, of the Tyneside-based Mick Knighton Mesothelioma Research Fund,

She was joined by Neil Wilkinson, an industrial diseases expert at the Newcastle office of national law firm Irwin Mitchell.

Mrs Knighton named the fund after her late husband, who died from mesothelioma in 2001 after he was exposed to asbestos while serving in the Royal Navy. She offers support to other victims through her charity work.

Last night's vigil was being held ahead of a mesothelioma seminar at St James' Park to coincide with National Mesothelioma Day on Monday.

Mr Wilkinson said: "Mesothelioma is a silent epidemic sweeping across this region. We are here tonight to remember those who have died from it.

"It's too late for many North-Easterners who already have the disease. What's important now is that they should be properly compensated"

l The British Lung Foundation will present a petition, called the Action Mesothelioma Charter, at 10 Downing Street on Monday. As well as improving the care of victims, including many from the North-East, it wants better protection for workers and more funding for research into the disease.