A man who had worked in the building trade since leaving school, died aged 45 as a result of an asbestos-related disease, a coroner ruled.

An inquest in Oxford heard that Anthony Cooper, of North End, Wendlebury, near Bicester, first complained of pain in his upper abdomen in June 1997.

He was referred to a chest consultant, although his symptoms seemed to settle down.

The following year Mr Cooper went back to his doctor with more chest pain, and a biopsy revealed he was suffering from mesothelioma -- a condition caused by exposure to asbestos fibres.

Mr Cooper's condition deteriorated and he died at home on August 29, 2000.

Dr Winifred Gray, a former consultant pathologist, who carried out a post mortem on August 31, confirmed that Mr Cooper's condition was consistent with exposure to asbestos.

Oxfordshire coroner Nicholas Gardiner said it was likely Mr Cooper had been exposed to asbestos soon after leaving school, when he worked on a number of old university buildings, including the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.

He concluded Mr Cooper's death had been as a result of industrial disease.