A Derbyshire woman has died due to cancer caused by childhood hugs with her pipe fitter father wearing overalls covered with asbestos.

Susan Macgregor was diagnosed with mesothelioma in September 2015 and died 14 months later at the age of 58.

Mesothelioma is the type of cancer which is most commonly connected to exposure to asbestos.

Mrs Macgregor’s husband, Dave, has spoken out ahead of a national awareness week of his devastation at having the mum of three “snatched early”.

He says Susan was a keen walker and all-round fitness enthusiast and first noticed something was wrong when she had difficulty breathing while exercising. She visited hospital and had x-rays which revealed the terrible news.

She had developed an incurable form of cancer which kills around 70 per cent of people within a year of diagnosis.

Mrs Macgregor went through six courses of chemotherapy and a separate procedure to remove part of the affected area of her chest, but she did eventually succumb to the disease.

Mr Macgregor, 66, from Willington, said: "The children are absolutely devastated. They've lost their mother, they've lost a friend, the grandchildren have lost their nana and I've lost my wife.

"It's absolutely gutting and nobody can understand why she got it - she was probably the fittest one of us all. It was really hard losing her and, after a lot of digging into her work background, we couldn't come up with any answers to that.

"But, following the inquest, the coroner came up with the most likely cause of her being in contact with asbestos was probably through her dad's overalls. He was a pipe fitter and used to come home at night in his work clothes and play with her and cuddle her and we think that's how she came into contact with asbestos.

"It only needs one little particle to settle in the right place and 40 to 50 years later you get diagnosed with this awful disease."

Mrs Macgregor's ashes were scattered at her favourite green spot in Milldale, Derbyshire, and Mr Macgregor has claimed he was angry and felt let down by the Government for letting asbestos be used in building construction.

He said his lawyers were, however, unable to the trace the asbestos exposure to any individual business so no compensation could be claimed.

He added: "Money doesn't bring my wife back. I feel like she has been snatched away from me and I would like to hold somebody accountable, but I can't."

Mr Macgregor was speaking to our sister title, the Derby Telegraph ahead of the Action Mesothelioma Day on Friday, July 7 – a national campaign aimed to raise awareness of asbestos exposure.

He has appealed for people going through similar situations to look for help from support groups like the Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team (DAST) as soon as possible.

He said: “I can't emphasise how great DAST were through all of this. It isn't only the victims who are impacted; it is their families and friends too. The bereavement support they provide has been fantastic."

DAST supported 209 people diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases last year and, to reflect that, an art installation with 209 paper dollies falling out of a "reflection rose" will be unveiled to remember the victims.

Various experts and campaigners will be giving speeches to raise awareness of asbestos exposure and “highlight the bravery of those who have pioneered the way for others to access truth and justice both legally and medically.”