A GRANDFATHER is recovering well after undergoing extensive surgery to remove a lung.

William Royle, aged 66, had his left lung, the lining of his right lung and part of the lining surrounding his heart removed in a bid to buy him more time after he was diagnosed with the terminal cancer, mesothelioma, an aggressive disease caused by exposure to asbestos.

The amateur dramatics fan had the pioneering operation, which took five hours, at a hospital in Leicester, one of the few places in the country where the surgery is carried out.

His wife, Dilys, who has been at his bedside throughout, said: "He seems to be doing really well. He's hooked up to all sorts of things, but he's still determined to be home soon."

The father-of-two, of Marlborough Gardens, Farnworth, was diagnosed with the condition last November.

He worked with asbestos, which causes mesothelioma in nine out of ten cases, when he was serving as an apprentice engineer between 1958 and 1962.

The operation could give Mr Royle another three years to live.