A WOMAN celebrating her 41st birthday died after falling down poorly-lit stairs at a Darwen nightclub, an inquest was told.

Jillian Ann Dawe stayed behind for drinks with the owner of the Roxy in the early hours of her birthday.

She plunged down a stairway which club owner Reg Gorton told the hearing was lit by emergency lighting.

But a friend of the dead woman told the inquest it had been in total darkness.

Miss Dawe, of Heys Lane, Blackburn, never regained consciousness after the fall, which resulted in a fractured skull and bleeding over the surface of the brain. Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Michael Singleton said Miss Dawe died after falling down the stairs which were "not properly lit."

And after the hearing, Chris Allen, head of trading standards and environ-mental health for Blackburn with Darwen, said: "Our investigation into the Roxy death is still ongoing and no decision has yet been made about any course of action."

Jillian's sister, Carol Harwood, 42, of Blackburn, said: "I suspected they would record a verdict of accidental death.

"I still miss Jill so much she was my best mate. When I had a problem I could go to her. I'm absolutely devastated. "

Mr Gorton, who has owned the Roxy in Market Street, Darwen, for 18 years, told the hearing that when Miss Dawe came into his club on Friday January 5 it was the first time he had met her and she was "very happy."

After the club closed for the night, Miss Dawe and her friend, Sandra Casey, remained behind with Mr Gorton and a friend of his called Paul, he said.

The inquest was told that Paul left at about 4.15am and Mr Gorton arranged to give Miss Dawe a lift as she lived close to his home and arranged for a taxi for Mrs Casey.

When the taxi arrived, Miss Dawe said she would walk her friend to the door.

Miss Casey said that as they went through the door out of the main club area, her friend disappeared in complete darkness. She said she thought she had gone down a corridor and was fooling around.

"I shouted at her to stop messing around and then opened my phone to get some light," said Mrs Casey.

"I realised there was a step and then went down and found Jillian."

Mr Gorton told the inquest the emergency lighting had been on over the stairway but Mrs Casey said it had been in total darkness.