SOME York asbestos victims could be badly hit by a landmark ruling in the Court of Appeal, solicitors warned today.

The court yesterday upheld a previous High Court judgment that compensation could not be paid in a case where a worker was exposed to the deadly dust by more than one employer.

Law firm Thompsons described the decision as a "devastating blow" to widows and families of men who have died or are ill, saying: "Today's ruling means that companies can admit that they have negligently exposed workers - who then develop mesothelioma - to asbestos, yet they can now walk away without having to pay a penny in compensation."

York solicitors said many York asbestos victims, who worked all their lives at the city's carriageworks, would not be affected by the ruling. But it could have an impact on others who had worked in more than one workplace where there had been potential exposure to the deadly dust.

Kevin Hughes, of York solicitors Pattinson & Brewer, who has handled many asbestos compensation claims over the past 15 years, said the ruling was "disappointing and surprising," and he hoped it would yet be overturned in the House of Lords.

If not, he hoped there would be fresh legislation to prevent insurance companies escaping their liabilities.

York solicitor Toby Conyers Kelly, of Hethertons, who has also handled many asbestos damages claims over the past decade, said the ruling could have a major impact in isolated cases where people had worked in more than one environment where they had been exposed to asbestos dust.

Updated: 10:44 Wednesday, December 12, 2001