A new campaign targeting Scottish tradesmen is warning of the dangers of asbestos.

The deadly fibres cause a cancer known as mesothelioma which killed 2,617 men in Scotland between 1981 and 2005.

Now, the Health and Safety Executive is launching a campaign called 'Asbestos- The Hidden Killer'.

It will target plumbers, electricians, joiners and other maintenance workers, to make them more aware of the risks of working with asbestos and their rights to protect themselves.

John Greig from Whitburn spent more than a decade as a wood worker on the railway coaches in Glasgow and was regularly exposed to asbestos

No protective equipment or clothing was provided or used until later years - when the danger was well known.

John retired from his joinery career when he was 65, and remained healthy for almost another decade before developing a chesty cough.

He was diagnosed with mesothelioma when he was 74, 50 years after his initial exposure to the fibres.

He said: "What happens with mesothelioma is that you are drowning on dry land.  There is no cure for it - your lungs are just closing up all the time.

"It's horrible to see x-rays of your lungs getting blacker and blacker - that makes it real."

Four years on from his diagnosis, John said: "You just can't do what you'd like to do. I can't fly anymore and I am very tired.  I loved walking but now my limit is walking 100 yards very slowly.

"You get annoyed at yourself because you can't do what you used to do.  But you've got to make light of it.  You can't let it get to you."

The 78-year-old said he was backing the campaign in the hope that young people starting out in a trade will be aware of the risks.

He said: "Asbestos is something you don't see and it took me 40 years before I displayed symptoms and discovered I had mesothelioma.  Please learn from my story. Don't be fooled by asbestos, don't be macho. 

"Nothing can make up for your health but you don't realise that when you are young.  Be careful, use the correct equipment and remember the dangers."

Greg Haywood, Head of HSE's Asbestos Licensing Unit in Edinburgh, said: "Asbestos is Britain's biggest industrial killer and remains a very real threat to workers in Scotland. 

"Contrary to what many people believe, the risks are not a thing of the past. Asbestos-related illnesses claim the lives of 4,000 people every year - more than die in road accidents.

"The most simple, but important, advice is if you are not 100 per cent certain that there is no asbestos where you are working, then don't start work. It is not worth the risk.

"Think of it as not just protecting yourself, but also protecting your family and loved ones from unnecessary heartache."