A MAN collapsed and died in deep snow after he tried to get home in treacherous conditions following a night out, an inquest has heard.

Gary Windle, 25, succumbed to hypothermia after being dropped off by taxi about a mile-and-a-half from his home, in Shay Lane, Briercliffe in the early hours of March 23.

Surrounding roads were blocked off because of the heavy snowfall and Mr Windle’s body was found later that day by a farmer in a nearby field.

He was taken by air ambulance to the Royal Blackburn Hospital and was pronounced dead the same day.

Burnley Coroner's Court was told that Tesco worker Mr Windle initially decided to stay at a friend's house overnight but made the fateful decision to order a taxi home.

Giving evidence, pathologist Dr Abdul Al-Dawoud said alcohol could make a person more susceptible to hypothermia as it reduces the core temperature of the body which then leads to disorientation and poor decision-making.

East Lancashire Deputy Coroner Mark Williams said Mr Windle died from hypothermia following a combination of the roads being blocked, the darkness, the blizzards and being under the influence.

Recording a verdict of misadventure, he said: “It is clear he intended to walk home but unfortunately never made it.”

After his death, friends raised more than £1,300 in just 24 hours to help pay for funeral costs and tributes were paid to the ‘larger than life legend’.

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson sent his condolences by way of a letter which was read out at his funeral at St John’s Church in Worsthorne.