A LEIGH pensioner died after hitting his head on a step.

An inquest in Bolton heard that 81-year-old retired engineer Vincent Joseph Smith, of Ripley Drive, had been visiting a friend's house.

But as he left, he fell, hitting the back of his head on a step and knocking himself unconscious. He was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital but died a short time later.

Coroner Jennifer Leeming recorded a verdict of accidental death.