WE Solicitors LLP

16/10/2026

Could talcum powder be linked to cancer?

Concerns have been raised about long-term use of talc-based powders and a possible link to ovarian cancer. Some talc deposits can also contain asbestos.

Have you or a loved one been affected? WE Solicitors can help you understand the legal issues.

📩 Get in touch to find out more.

16/10/2026

Sheffield Steelworkers and Hearing Loss: Can You Still Claim Decades After Leaving the Works?

If you worked in a Sheffield or Rotherham steelworks, forge, rolling mill or grinding shop and now have hearing loss or tinnitus, you can usually still make a claim, even if you left the works decades ago.

Noise damage is permanent, and the three-year time limit normally runs from when you first knew your hearing loss was linked to your work, which for many former steelworkers is the day an audiologist or GP tells them so.

Compensation is paid by the insurer that covered your employer at the time, so it does not matter that most of the old works have closed.

Get in touch today: 0800 294 3065

15/10/2026

One of the things that makes asbestos exposure particularly difficult to understand is the long delay between exposure and illness. Someone can be exposed to asbestos and have no symptoms at all for many years, sometimes decades, before an asbestos-related disease becomes apparent. We have represented hundreds of people over the last 25 years and often, they were not aware of the impact on their lungs, until decades after being exposed.

That doesn't mean that someone who has visited Mount Batten beach should assume they are going to become ill. The circumstances and level of exposure are obviously very different and need to be assessed on the evidence available. But it is an opportunity to explain why asbestos is treated so seriously and why historical exposure can still be relevant many years later.

1. Perhaps one of the most difficult things for people to understand about asbestos is that exposure does not necessarily produce an immediate warning sign.

2. Someone can be exposed and feel completely well, only for an asbestos-related disease to develop many years or even decades later. That long latency period is one of the reasons asbestos remains such a serious public health issue (12-40 years)

3. Of course, the circumstances at Mount Batten need to be considered on their own evidence, and people should not be unnecessarily alarmed. The reassuring point from the information available so far is that air monitoring has not found evidence of airborne asbestos round the waterfront.

4. But the wider lesson is that suspected asbestos should never be disturbed or treated casually. It needs to be properly identified, assessed and managed.

With Mount Batten Beach fenced off since July, residents and campaigners are demanding answers.

14/10/2026

Were you represented by Bridger & Co and left facing an unexpected legal bill?

We have recently been approached by a former client who says they have been left facing an adverse costs order following litigation.

We would like to hear from other former clients who may have experienced something similar.

If you have:

Received an adverse costs order
Been told you are responsible for another party's legal costs
Been surprised by the financial consequences of your case
Or have concerns about the costs advice you received

we would be interested to hear from you.

Every case is difference and an adverse costs order does not automatically mean that a solicitor has done anything wrong.

But, if you've been left facing a significant financial liability and want to understand your position, we can discuss this with you confidentially.

Contact us free on 0800 294 3065

WE Solicitors has recently been approached by a client who says they have been left facing an adverse costs order following litigation in which they were represented by this firm.

12/10/2026

Hearing Loss Claims in Liverpool: Merseyside Dock, Ship Repair and Car Plant Workers

Worked on the Liverpool docks, in Mersey ship repair or a Halewood or Speke press shop and now struggle to hear? How Merseyside hearing loss claims work.

How common is work-related hearing loss?
HSE estimates that around 15,000 workers in Great Britain had work-related hearing problems, based on Labour Force Survey data for 2022/23 to 2024/25. Only 50 new cases of occupational deafness were assessed for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit in 2024, because that benefit only covers severe loss of at least 50 dB in both ears. A compensation claim against a former employer does not use that threshold. It depends on medical evidence that noise at work damaged your hearing and that your employer failed to protect you.

link in the comments

07/10/2026

The hidden danger of power tools: Could years of vibration exposure be damaging your health?

For thousands of workers across the UK, power tools are an essential part of their job. Yet years of exposure to vibration from tools such as drills, grinders, breakers and pneumatic equipment can have serious consequences for health.

Hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), sometimes known as vibration white finger is a condition caused by prolonged exposure to vibrating tools.

Many workers do not even realise they have been affected until they start to notice symptoms. Early signs of HAVS can include: tingling or numbness in the fingers, reduced grip strength, loss of sensation, fingers turning white in cold weather.

Employers are responsible for protecting workers from excessive vibration exposure. This includes assessing risks, monitoring exposure levels, providing suitable equipment, tool maintenance and adequate training.

Steve Evans, partner at WE Solicitors says "HAVS can have a significant impact on quality of life. Simple, every day tasks such as dressing themselves (buttons), handling intricate objects or working in cold conditions can become increasingly difficult."

If you have spent years using vibrating tools and are experiencing problems, it is important to understand your rights and seek specialist advice. Steve has over twenty years experience representing clients that have been affected by workplace injuries, including HAVS, noise induced hearing loss, silicosis, asbestos related illness and falls from heights.

You can get some initial advice from our team and we can discuss if your problems need further investigation. Contact us free on 0800 294 3065.

06/10/2026

Did you work with asbestos?

If you worked in any of these areas, you may have been exposed to asbestos and not been aware of the danger:

Former construction workers
Joiners
Plumbers
Electricians
Engineers
Factory workers
Shipbuilding
Power stations
Rail
Local authority workers
School/hospital maintenance workers
Demolition workers

If you worked with asbestos during your career and now suffer from breathing problems, pleural plaques, asbestosis or another asbestos-related condition, you may be entitled to investigate whether someone was responsible.

We have successfully represented many clients who worked with asbestos and became ill years later.

Call us for a chat - we will do our best to help you. 0800 294 3065.

29/09/2026

Industrial Disease & Hearing Loss Claims in Sheffield’s Steel

Almost every stage of steel and cutlery production in Sheffield and Rotherham carried a recognised risk of noise, dust, asbestos or vibration, and the same hazards ran through the engineering, wire and tool firms that grew up around the big works in Attercliffe, Brightside, Tinsley and Templeborough

If you worked in a forge, melting shop, rolling mill or grinding shop and now have hearing loss or tinnitus, you can make a steelworks hearing loss claim provided your employer failed to protect you from the noise.

Whether you were a melter at Templeborough, a hammer driver in an Attercliffe forge, a grinder in a Hillsborough cutlery works or a lagger who moved between the steelworks of the Don Valley, WE Solicitors can tell you quickly and honestly whether you have a claim.



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25/09/2026

Did you cut kitchen work tops?

Cutting, grinding, polishing, stone dust, if you have worked with engineered stone and subsequently developed serious breathing problems or been diagnosed with silicosis, your working history could be extremely important.

The Health and Safety Executive says that respirable crystalline silica can cause silicosis, COPD and lung cancer.

If this is happening to you and you're not sure if you might be able to make a claim for compensation, contact the team at WE Solicitors for initial advice.

24/09/2026

Remember the days when you were given a pay packet? Usually on a Friday afternoon.

Before payslips landed in your inbox, many people went home from the mill, factory, foundry or building site with a wage packet in their pocket. A week's wages for a week of real hard work, often in very trying conditions.

For generations of workers across Oldham, Rochdale and Greater Manchester, jobs in days gone by often meant long hours surrounded by machinery, noise, dust, chemicals and asbestos.

At the time, you got on with it. You went to work each day, did your job, collected your wages at the end of the week and went home.

But for some, the effects of that working life didn't end when the job did.

Years later, some former workers developed hearing loss, tinnitus, breathing problems, asbestos-related diseases or other serious conditions.

So when you look at an old wage packet, don't just think about what you earned.

Think about where you worked, what you were exposed to and what those years may have meant for your health.

Did you have an old job that left its mark?

Share your memories with us and if we can help in any way, do get in touch.