Cancer sufferer Ann Macpherson has won a £110,000 payout after catching asbestosis from her husband's clothes.

Mrs Macpherson's husband Derek died three years ago of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos after working in aluminium processing for Alcan International, in Banbury, since 1962.

His 57-year-old widow had to give up her new job as a secretary at the Horton Hospital, Banbury, after contracting the same disease from dust unwittingly brought home on his clothes.

Mrs Macpherson, of Church View, Banbury, is one of a growing number of victims of the disease who have not worked directly with asbestos and is the first in the area to receive a settlement.

Alcan paid out the money before the case reached the High Court in London after she pursued a claim backed by her union, Unison. Her husband won a lower settlement and that is being challenged.

Mrs Macpherson, who was diagnosed with the cancer in September last year and left work a month later, said: "When my husband died, I can't say how much I missed him. My work at the hospital helped me to cope.

"I would like to see asbestos banned from use - it is a timebomb ticking away that can strike years later."

Mrs Macpherson added that the £110,000 payout could not compensate for the devastation asbestos has caused. "Asbestos ruined our lives. I am not the only one who has been affected. There are so many people out there who have been affected. "They say white asbestos is not quite as bad but it is still asbestos and asbestos is still dangerous," she added.

The import of brown and blue asbestos - the more dangerous forms of the material - are already banned and the Health and Safety Commission decided on August 18 to move towards a ban of white asbestos in the UK. Helen Black, Unison's regional head of health, said: "Obviously I'm pleased about the settlement that Mrs Macpherson has received but really what can compensate a person for the loss of their health and the pain and suffering that she's going to have to live with for the remainder of her life."

Unison wants the duty placed on employers to survey and manage the asbestos that already exists in large quantities in public buildings.

Ms Black said: "These cases are only now starting to emerge. The disease has a very long latency period of 20 to 30 years. We are seeing people who didn't work directly with asbestos but who come into contact with it developing asbestos-related diseases and cancers like Ann Macpherson."

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