A "PARANOID" man killed himself by filling his house full of gas and petrol and blowing it up, an inquest heard.

Victor Clarke dis-connected the gas supply at the mains and doused the rooms of his semi-detached home in petrol before lighting the deadly mix.

He was found dead at the house in Meadowhead Avenue, Whitworth, by firefighters after neigh-bours called emergency services following the blast in February.

An inquest at Burnley Magistrates' Court heard Mr Clarke, 52, had become increasingly depressed and paranoid and was drinking heavily.

His two children Adam and Heather told the hearing they had moved out of the house because of their father's condition.

They said he was paranoid and that he told them he thought the TV standby button was a listening device.

Next-door neighbour Peter Ruane told the hearing of the moment Mr Clarke blew up the house. He said: "I was upstairs and I felt the house shake. I thought it was a gas explosion downstairs in our house so I walked outside and I saw a fascia board hanging off Vic's house.

"I got my family out and called 999."

Dave Jackson, manager at Burnley Fire Station, said investigations show-ed the explosion was caused by a deliberate ignition of gas and petrol.

A post mortem exam-ination revealed Mr Clarke died from burns and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Recording a verdict that Mr Clarke took his own life, East Lancashire Coroner Richard Taylor said: "Cases like this are always disturbing.

"I have a picture of somebody who was clearly quite poorly.

"He was very depressed, paranoid and thought everyone was against him. There is only one explanation for the explosion and that is deliberate ignition."