THE POPULAR owner of a Burnley chippy died after falling down a flight of stairs while on holiday in Egpyt, an inquest heard.

Burnley Coroner’s Court was told that 65-year-old Ken Hankinson, of Rosegrove Lane, lost his balance at the top of a flight of stairs at the 5 star Tropicana Grand Azure Hotel, in Sharm-el-Sheikh, following a night out.

Mr Hankinson had been on holiday with his wife Julie, 53, his son David, 29, and a family friend to celebrate his 65th birthday in January.

They had been for a night out on January 28, three days after Mr Hankinson’s birthday, when the accident happened at 12.30am.

Mrs Hankinson said in a statement read out at the inquest: “To get back to the room we had a flight of 12 to 14 steps down a staircase that didn’t have a handrail.

“We were returning to our room and got to the top of the steps when Ken turned round to try and talk to somebody and overbalanced, falling down the full flight of stairs.

“He was unconscious and a police officer who was nearby gave him CPR before the ambulance arrived and took him to hospital.”

Mr Hankinson was taken to Sharm-el-Sheikh International Hospital where it was found he had a severe head injury.

He died two days later on January 30. A post-mortem examination carried out at the hospital revealed he died from a brain hemorrhage which led to heart and respiratory failure.

Mr Hankinson and his wife Julie ran Birds chip shop, in Rosegrove Lane, Burnley.

He was secretary of the Railway Club, in Rosegrove, where he was a regular drinker, and also helped sponsor Lowerhouse Cricket Club.

He met Julie, who is from Sheffield, while on holiday in Tenerife 13 years ago. The couple married in the Bahamas five years ago.

Coroner Richard Taylor recorded a verdict of accidental death.