What price loyalty? For David Eaves, a tragically short retirement, an agonising death … and a paltry £17,000 payout.

His family have called the final weeks of his life "hell" with the poor man gasping for every breath – due to his asbestos-related industrial disease.

Mr Eaves was the ideal company man.

He stuck with the same business for 44 years, he toiled hard, he took pride in his work and he had just two weeks off sick in all that time.

Yet during those early years, asbestos was working its way into his system.

When he retired, he appeared to be a fit man – his colleagues even bought him gym membership as a send-off.

But the mesothelioma took hold and his quality of life had deteriorated quickly.

When he died, he took some comfort from thinking that his wife, Dinah, would be given some financial help.

After all, Mr Eaves was dying because his job had exposed him to the asbestos.

Cruelly, Mrs Eaves was to receive much less than the £200,000 the family had hoped for.

Complicated rules mean that, because the company was taken over in the 1970s, no one can in effect be held responsible and the £17,000 came from the Government.

It is likely that Mr Eaves was not the first and won't be the last person to fall into this trap.

The family's lawyers and the GMB union will continue to fight for funds to be paid by the insurance industry but there is clearly no certainty that they will get anywhere.

David Eaves gave his entire working life to Bailey Caravans and their predecessors, FG Bailey.

In return, his family has been given precious little.