A 73-year-old retired prison electrician who is dying from an asbestos-related cancer has launched a legal battle for compensation of up to £150,000.

Terence Clare has malignant mesothelioma, a terminal cancer which affects the lining of his lungs, which he says is as a result of being exposed to asbestos.

Now Mr Clare, of Main Road, Pontesbury, near Shrewsbury, is claiming damages from HM Prison Service. He claims he was exposed to asbestos dust and fibres when he worked at HMP Holloway in London from 1976 to 2000, according to a High Court writ.

As part of his duties he had to access electric cabling for repair and maintenance, housed inside a suspended ceiling on the “trolley route”, and had to remove asbestos tiles which scraped releasing dust, the writ says.

When he worked in the suspended ceiling area the atmosphere was heavily contaminated with asbestos dust, the writ adds.

Mr Clare first became breathless and started coughing in 2008, and six months later x-rays showed a problem with his left lung.

Despite radiotherapy, he suffers from chest pain, breathlessness and loss of appetite, and faces a life expectancy of less than one year, the writ adds.

Without mesothelioma, he could have expected to live another 11.6 years, and is claiming damages to reflect the lost years of his life, the writ says.

He says the prison serviced failed to provide him with proper protection or ventilation, failed to warn him of the dangers of working in an asbestos contaminated atmosphere, and allowed him to work unprotected in a contaminated atmosphere knowing it would cause lung injury.