Former South Yorkshire miners could have “key information” following asbestos death of grandfather from Doncaster

Keith Needham worked at Maltby Colliery in Rotherham from 1974 to the early 1980s, where his widow Lynne believes he may have been exposed to asbestos.

During his time at Maltby Colliery, Keith worked underground as a locomotive driver. When moving between the lamp room and main shift area of the mine, Keith recalled he had to walk along a covered walkway made from asbestos.  

As miners were often using this walkway, the asbestos was frequently disturbed. Keith told his family that this left the area particularly dusty to the point where somebody was constantly required to sweep up the dust, which included asbestos dust. He also recalled that there was no way to avoid breathing the dust in.

In December 2021, Keith was diagnosed with mesothelioma and died just five months later aged 83. He lived in Doncaster all his life, and left behind his wife, children and grandchildren.  

Keith also worked at Rossington Colliery in Doncaster from the age of 15 between 1961 and 1974.  

Keith’s family, who have instructed law firm Leigh Day to investigate a claim, are looking for witnesses who worked at Maltby Colliery at a similar time to him. It is thought they could provide key information about the conditions in which he was working. 

Lynne Needham said: 

“Keith was a very loving husband, dad and grandad, and it was terrible to see this dreadful disease take him away from us in such a cruel way.  He was known by a few nicknames, Shultz, Red and Red Setter. I will be deeply grateful for any information from former colliery employees, which may assist with my legal claim.” 

Leigh Day partner Louisa Saville, who represents Keith’s family, said: 

“We are appealing for people who worked at Maltby Colliery at a similar time to Keith. Any information we receive could be helpful in constructing a clearer picture of Keith’s working conditions and the presence of asbestos.”