A Bolton man with a history of health problems had a cardiac arrest in his home and died after suffering from multiple organ failure at hospital.

Martin Riley suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and spondylitis.

In June this year, his partner Romenka Avison found him collapsed at his home on Hurst Road in the town and he was taken to Royal Bolton Hospital.

Mr Riley, who worked in tiling and in warehouses, was found to have taken excessive paracetamol, an inquest into his death at Bolton Coroners' Court heard.

At hospital he was put on life support and twice taken off before doctors decided he would not recover from multiple organ failure.

Miss Avison confirmed he was given medication for his conditions, which included spondylitis, but this was not enough and he helped himself to hers for a back condition and sourced his own pregabalin.

His mother Shirley Riley asked why he was not kept on life support longer.

She said: “I am not saying that he would not have died.

“We do not know.

“I do not remember any discussion about that with any staff about taking him off.

“Romenka has told me that it did occur.”

Dr Emma Wheatley, who works at the intensive care unit at the Royal Bolton, said: “Patients on ventilators with COPD do not do very well.

“I do not believe two more days would have helped."

Dr Wheatley also said she did not believe Mr Riley, who was aged 47, had taken an intentional overdose of paracetamol.

Pathologist Patrick Waugh initially said that the cause of death could not be determined.

But after hearing the evidence he said it was multiple organ failure due to paracetamol toxicity with an underlying cause of cor pulmonale due to COPD.

Coroner Ceri Owen accepted this finding.

She said: “He had a known medical history including COPD and spondylitis.

“He died at the Royal Bolton Hospital on July 7, he attended on June 30 following a cardiac arrest.”