By MARK HOOKHAM, ASSISTANT EDITOR (INVESTIGATIONS)

Published: 01:18 GMT, 11 January 2026 | Updated: 01:18 GMT, 11 January 2026

A grandmother has incurable cancer after being exposed to toxic asbestos while rehearsing for her school production of the musical Half A Sixpence as a child.

Rose Hall, 66, is among what is claimed to be thousands of former pupils who have developed mesothelioma after inhaling deadly asbestos fibres decades ago.

Although asbestos, Britain’s ‘hidden killer’, was banned in new buildings in 1999, there are still 21,500 schools with the material.

Ms Hall sued Leeds City Council and received an undisclosed sum after it was found that Allerton Grange school, which she went to in the 1970s, was riddled with asbestos. The school was demolished and rebuilt in 2009.

She initially thought her exposure could have been linked to emergency building work there.

But in recent weeks she was shocked to learn asbestos was found under the school’s stage, where props were stored.

She recalls going under the stage during rehearsals for Half A Sixpence when she was 11. ‘I was a child, I didn’t know asbestos was there,’ said the mother-of-two.

The policy of successive governments is to leave asbestos in schools unless it is damaged and shedding fibres. But last year the Mail launched a campaign to strip it from all schools, hospitals and other public buildings.

Rose Hall (pictured), 66, is among what is claimed to be thousands of former pupils who have developed mesothelioma after inhaling deadly asbestos fibres decades ago

Allerton Grange school before it was knocked down and rebuilt. Ms Hall sued Leeds City Council and received an undisclosed sum after it was found that the school was riddled with asbestos

Ms Hall said: ‘It absolutely should be removed from schools. I’m worried about my grandchildren.’ Leeds City Council said 70 of its 97 schools have identified asbestos and they are inspected by qualified professionals each year.

‘This includes a detailed visual survey of all known asbestos‑containing materials to ensure they remain in good condition and undisturbed,’ said a spokesman.

There are 5,000 asbestos-related deaths a year in Britain, of which 2,200 are from mesothelioma.

It can take 20 to 60 years from being exposed to asbestos to developing symptoms, such as chest pains and breathlessness.

The Office For National Statistics has no data on mesothelioma deaths due to asbestos exposure as a pupil. But a report last year by campaigners the Joint Union Asbestos Committee said 25,200 exposed before the mid-1990s are predicted to die from the disease.