1970s summer job in Staffordshire may have exposed man to asbestos

Tim Bishop, now 65, worked at Unigate Dairies in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire as a teenager in the 1970s during several school holidays, before going on to have a long career in health and care services. 

Tim recalls the factory on Brookside Road used refrigeration units for storing dairy products. His legal team say at that time, these types of units were commonly lined with asbestos insulation.

During his shifts, Tim says he loaded large boxes of butter onto palettes for forklifts to collect. He recalls forklift trucks and other machinery on the factory floor sometimes scraped the walls as the working space was relatively small. Tim’s legal team believes this may have caused asbestos fibres to be released.  

The factory changed ownership in 1981 and was closed in 1985.

Tim retired in 2016 and went on to work with charities and non‑profit organisations.

After beginning to experience shortness of breath and fatigue, Tim was diagnosed with mesothelioma in December 2025, a cancer primarily caused by exposure to asbestos. Following his diagnosis, Tim stepped back from his charity work.

Now, Tim has instructed Daniel Easton and Charlie Cook from the asbestos team at law firm Leigh Day to investigate his case. They believe his former colleagues at Unigate Dairies may have “vital” information.

Tim Bishop said:

“It is a long shot and I am conscious that old friends and colleagues may be shocked by my diagnosis, but it is important to try and find out if my teenage holiday work at Unigate may have led to my illness decades later, and if anyone else has been impacted by mesothelioma.”

Leigh Day partner Daniel Easton, who represents Tim, said:

“Tim contacted us following his diagnosis with mesothelioma, hoping to understand how he may have been exposed to asbestos, the cause of this devastating disease. After going through his working history, we believe it is possible Tim was exposed to asbestos while working his holiday job at the dairy factory.

“We are hoping to hear from people who worked at the Unigate Dairies factory in Uttoxeter at a similar time to Tim, in the 1970s. Any piece of information, however small it may seem could be vital to us getting answers for Tim and his family.”