A FALL down stairs after a bout of heavy drinking led to the death of a Burnley man, an inquest heard.

Robert Taylor, 42, fell at his home in Albert Street and was found by lodger, Anthony Groggins.

Mr Groggins told the hearing that on August 16 he arrived at the house to find Mr Taylor drinking a two litre bottle of Diamond White cider.

He added he appeared to be drunk and kept falling asleep. Around 10.25pm Mr Taylor said he was going to bed. Mr Groggins said shortly after he heard Mr Taylor fall, but did not hear him cry out. "I knew he'd fallen downstairs by the thud," he said. He added he could see Mr Taylor had a gash at the back of his head.

Neighbours and an ambulance were called, but attempts to revive him failed. He was taken to the Accident and Emergency Department at Burnley General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A post mortem examination was carried out by Home Office pathologist Dr Naomi Carter. She told the inquest that Mr Taylor was a heavily built man and there had been a strong smell of alcohol on his body at the time of the examination.

Dr Carter said: "There was a severe head injury and a larger laceration at the back of the head, bruises around the left ear and a graze at the bottom of his back above the hip."

Underneath the laceration there was a large skull fracture and swelling of the brain. These injuries, Dr Carter said, were in keeping with a fall down a flight of stairs.

Tests showed Mr Taylor had alcohol to the equivalent of 16 pints of beer in his blood.

Dr Carter carried out an inspection of Mr Taylor's home. She said the house had a steep stairwell, a slippery nylon carpet on the stairs and a stone floor with a thin carpet covering. These factors and Mr Taylor's high alcohol consumption had all contributed to his death.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, acting East Lancashire coroner Dr Richard Taylor said: "Mr Taylor had apparently been drinking throughout the day. He set off to bed and for some reason overbalanced.

"The carpet in the house was not the greatest. There was a concrete or stone floor at the bottom of the stairs. Sadly it appears he overbalanced and fell down the stairs. Tragically, that led to his death."