A BURNLEY grandfather who suffered a fractured skull after falling from a ladder at his home has lost his fight for life.

Popular character Jimmy Murray had been on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at the Royal Preston Hospital since the accident on Tuesday evening.

He died yesterday.

Jimmy, 65, who retired from working in the building trade because of ill health, had been checking work on guttering at his home on Kiddrow Lane, Burnley.

Neighbours heard him fall and alerted emergency services.

Paramedic Ian Schofield and technician Tim Standing spent ten minutes reviving Mr Murray after his heart stopped.

He was taken initially to Burnley General Hospital and then transferred to the Royal Preston Hospital where his wife Violet, 62, kept a vigil at his bedside.

Neighbours waited anxiously for information about Jimmy who was well-liked in the area.

Next-door neighbour for 20 years and good friend of Jimmy and Violet, Irene Gallagher described them as a "lovely couple".

Her grandchildren looked on Jimmy as a grandfather.

Jimmy was a member of Rosegrove Unity and Burnley Miners' Clubs and was a poppy seller for the Royal British Legion.

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