A BLACKBURN man died on his 78th birthday following hip replacement surgery.

Ronald Duxbury, of Shearwater Drive, appeared to be making a good recovery from the operation, an inquest was told.

But on November 24 last year he became very short of breath and the hearing heard that he was re-admitted to hospital.

He died the following day.

The inquest was told that Mr Duxbury had suffered a pulmonary embolism as a result of deep vein thrombosis following surgery and that was given as the medical cause of death.

Coroner Michael Singleton recorded a verdict of natural causes.