THEY raised a banner on the steps of Blackpool Town Hall on Saturday in memory of the thousands of people who have died because of their jobs.

And the Blackpool Horizon Biscuit Company flew its flag at half-mast as it joined Blackpool and Fylde Trade Union Council to mark April 29 as National Worker Memorial Day.

Hundreds of thousands of workers, from Blackpool to Brazil, have lost their lives because of work-related illness and in accidents.

Horizon and the trades unions said they wanted particularly to highlight the dangers arising from exposure to asbestos dust. "Asbestos is a killer. Work should enhance our lives; it should not endanger our health," said Horizon safety adviser Rod Ford.

Asbestos dust killed 4,000 people a year in Great Britain, Mr Ford added. "This figure will increase to more than 10,000 by the year 2025."

A trades union council spokesman said they were campaigning to remove asbestos from workplaces, schools and homes, and for a register to be kept on all areas where asbestos is found.

"We thank the mayor and all the employers in the Blackpool and Fylde area who lowered their flags as a sign of respect," the spokesman added. "Today we commemmorate the dead, but tomorrow we fight for the living."

Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden has added his support to a Commons motion marking the memorial day and highlighting the continuing hazard of asbestos.

Mr Marsden, who was among those who lobbied for the incorporation of the special day into the civic calendar, said: "The day is an important occasion for trades unions and gives an important opportunity for us to remember the 335,000 workers worldwide who die as a result of their work every year."