SCRAPYARD owner Alf Kyme cut short his holiday in Spain after being tracked down through the Internet and told of the sudden death of one of his sons.

Father-of-three Stephen Kyme, 36, of Fairfield Avenue, Waterfoot suffered from epilepsy for several years and the condition was controlled by medication.

He called into his father's scrapyard business on Brandwood Road, Stacksteads, on Monday, but at about 11pm his girlfriend Dot found he had suffered an epileptic fit in bed at their home.

Paramedics were called and tried unsuccessfully to revive him. A post mortem examination revealed he died from natural causes.

One of his brothers, David, said news of Stephen's death had come as a great shock to his family although he had suffered a couple of bad attacks in the past.

David, who works at the yard, said: "Our dad was away on holiday and although we knew the area of Spain we didn't know which hotel. "I used the Internet to get the phone number of a hotel and rang them to see if they had heard of a hotel which a relative had suggested might be where he was staying.

"The name was actually wrong, but the hotel knew which hotel I meant and gave me the phone number. Even the police had not been able to trace my dad."

When David finally got through to Alf he tried to arrange an early flight home and eventually managed to get back yesterday lunchtime.

Stephen was separated from his wife and has three children aged between five and 10. He leaves four sisters and five brothers, many of whom still live locally. He had been unable to work because of his epilepsy.

The funeral will be on Monday at 1pm when a Requiem Mass will be celebrated at St James-the-Less RC Church, Rawtenstall, by Father David Lupton followed by burial in Rawtenstall Cemetery.

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