Campaigners and unions yesterday welcomed a high court ruling that protects the rights of asbestos victims to claim compensation.

Campaigners and unions yesterday welcomed a high court ruling that protects the rights of asbestos victims to claim compensation.

People suffering from the lung disease mesothelioma have been told that insurers will have to pay out, even if their condition did not develop until many years after they came into contact with asbestos.

The landmark "trigger issue case", so called because insurers had argued that they were not liable for workers whose diseases were triggered decades after exposure to asbestos, will make it easier for sufferers and their families to claim compensation.

Representatives of asbestos campaigns across Scotland and the UK joined union leaders in welcoming the result, though many have urged further action to safeguard victims' rights.

Harry McCluskey, secretary of Clydeside Action on Asbestos, said he was delighted by the ruling, which he called a "commonsense approach to employer liability".

He said: "It is an extremely important decision that allows mesothelioma victims who were exposed to asbestos to continue to pursue compensation from negligent employers.

"It is appalling that those affected by a diagnosis of mesothelioma have to continue to endure delays and legal technicalities in their fight for justice."

John Greig, from West Lothian, who is suffering from mesothelioma, said the result was "great news" for people seeking compensation.

Mr Greig, 77, was in frequent contact with asbestos while working at railway yards in Springburn, Glasgow, between the 1940s and 1960s. In 2005 he was diagnosed with the lung-disease, and since then he has had three operations to help his breathing.

He said: "I was able to claim compensation relatively quickly because I had a full record of where and when I'd worked, with old pay lines and witnesses to back it up.

"But other people would find it harder. It's important to help families where maybe the guy has died and his wife is left to make a claim, but she's not quite sure about details."

Sufferers of mesothelioma would notice a real deterioration on their quality of life, said Mr Greig, and compensation money would help people to cope with the difficulties they faced.

"Even talking to people I have to stop and collect my breath," he said. "I can walk a bit with a stick, but stairs are a difficulty.

"Everyday things you take for granted are affected."

l Clydeside Action on Asbestos won The Herald prize for Public Campaign of the year. The organisation can be contacted on 0141 552 8852.