More than 1,000 atomic bomb test veterans, including two Shropshire pensioners, and their families will have to wait until after Easter before discovering if their compensation claims can go ahead, a High Court judge warned today.

The ex-servicemen, their widows and families claim that the men were made ill by radiation exposure following nuclear tests in the Pacific and mainland Australia in the 1950s.

The veterans include Charlie Price, 70, of Leebotwood, near Church Stretton and Leslie Lund, of Hollinswood, Telford.

Mr Price claims he had never felt right since leaving the Navy and saw his healthy teeth fall out, while Mr Lund has had hip replacements and stomach problems.

The claims, if successful, could potentially cost the Ministry of Defence hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation payments for a wide range of health problems.

Over the last three weeks, MoD lawyers have tried to convince Mr Justice Foskett to halt the claims before they even get to a full trial.

They say the claims were made far too late and that, in any event, are doomed to fail due to the lack of evidence proving a link between their health problems and events of half a century ago.

Judge Mr Justice Foskett said: “There is going to be some quite considerable delay before my decision is made.

“I am a team of one, so, I am afraid, from now on I have an awful lot to read, re-read and mull over before being able to give a final decision.”