A 79-year-old man from Burnley was found dead by his cousin after working with asbestos for years, an inquest has heard.

David Alan Brown, of Belvedere Road, worked for 'Plastics and Resins Limited' for four years throughout the 1960s.

On February 18, David's cousin let herself into his home with a spare key after he had failed to answer the door.

She found him dead and unresponsive in his bed and rang the emergency services, who pronounced him dead at the scene.

In a statement of life provided by his solicitors, Accrington Town Hall heard that David had worked with asbestos and asbestos dust throughout his time at Plastics and Resins Limited.

The court heard how David had mixed asbestos material into paint, and was around dust particles regularly in the air.

The statement also said as there was no lift in the work premises, David and his colleagues would carry asbestos in bags up three flights of stairs to reach the mixer.

The court heard a toxicology report provided by Royal Blackburn Hospital showed that David was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.

David's family requested that the inquest be held without their presence. 

Coroner Richard Taylor gave a conclusion of death as industrial disease.