Gordon Brown vowed to tackle the asbestos crisis yesterday after losing a close friend to a cancer linked to the dust.

The PM met campaigners, teaching unions and worried MPs at No10 amid rising concern over asbestos in schools.

Mr Brown, who lost friend Scottish MP John MacDougall last year to mesothelioma, ordered ministers to find out what local authorities are doing to deal with the problem.

The campaigners hailed it as a breakthrough and praised the Mirror's campaign. Our survey also showed up to 9 in 10 of 25,000 schools could have been built with the material.

At least 178 teachers died from cancer linked to it from 1980 to 2005.

"In the next few months you'll see concrete proposals."

Schools minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry will meet the group within weeks to find solutions.

Story from the mirror.co.uk