An engineer who worked at Rowntrees in York for more than 30 years died following daily exposure to asbestos, York coroner Donald Coverdale heard.

Derek Taylor, 76, of Longridge Lane, Nether Poppleton, died in September last year after suffering chest problems.

In a statement made to solicitors before his death, he said of his time at Rowntrees: "All the pipes were lagged in asbestos and it was everywhere.

"We were exposed to it on a daily basis. It was common for it to be left by machinery, and we would just kick it out of the way. It was always in the air, it used to be on my clothes and in my hair.

"We certainly were not advised of the dangers."

Mr Coverdale recorded that Mr Taylor had been killed by an industrial disease.

Harold Yates, 90, from Dodsworth Avenue, died in February this year. Mr Coverdale heard that he had worked as a joiner, which included sawing sheets of asbestos while working at York City Hospital.

But Mr Coverdale recorded that he died of natural causes after hearing that his lung cancer had not been caused by exposure to asbestos.

And natural causes were recorded as causing the death of Edward Robson, 85, of Tadcaster Road, who showed some evidence of exposure to asbestos. He had worked at the carriageworks in Holgate Road, but Mr Coverdale heard that his lung cancer did not appear to have been caused by the exposure.

Updated: 12:00 Thursday, March 22, 2001