A TERMINALLY-ill York man has launched a legal battle for compensation after falling victim to the asbestos timebomb.

Terry Bodden, of Clifton, York, said he had been given seven months to live by doctors after developing malignant mesothelioma, a cancer of the tissues surrounding his lungs or abdomen normally caused by exposure to asbestos.

The 58-year-old is claiming up to £150,000 in damages from Dodsworth (York) Ltd and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), whom he blames for his disease, according to a writ issued in London's High Court.

The writ says he was exposed to deadly asbestos dust and fibres when he worked for the company between 1962 and 1966, and when he worked for DEFRA between 1966 and 1969.

Mr Bodden, who is the brother of York rugby ace St John Ellis, who tragically died last year, alleges that the company and DEFRA were negligent and in breach of their statutory duty through his exposure to asbestos dust.

He claims that this led to him developing mesothelioma.

"The doctors have given me less than eight months to live," he said.

"I've been with my wife, Sue, for about 13 years so you can imagine what it's like for her. I just take every day as it comes. I'm just glad when I wake up and see the sunlight shining through the window."

Mr Bodden claims he came into contact with the deadly asbestos dust while working as an apprentice painter and decorator in York in the 1960s.

He discovered he had mesothelioma in late 2005 after suffering from chest pains. "I'm a happy go lucky bloke - in life you can only play the cards you are dealt with," he said.

"Some days are better than others."

A DEFRA spokesman said: "As far as we are aware the case is still ongoing so it would not be appropriate to comment."

When The Press contacted the telephone number listed for Dodsworth (York) Ltd, it was told that the company was no longer in operation and a new decorating firm had taken over the site.

Mesothelioma is a terminal and progressive cancer, almost invariably linked to exposure to asbestos at work.

Mr Bodden's is the latest in a series of legal actions brought by cancer victims from all over the region. Scores of former York Carriageworks employees have fallen victim over the years to mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos.