SNIFFING lighter fuel can kill, an East Lancashire coroner has warned after a Ribble Valley teenager died six months after inhaling butane gas.

The grim message came at an inquest into the death of Clark Clayton, 14, of River Lea Gardens, Clitheroe, who suffered heart and brain damage after sniffing butane gas and died in Booth Hall Children's Hospital, Manchester on February 29.

Clark collapsed after sniffing the gas on September 4. It caused irreparable damage to his heart.

Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley coroner Michael Singleton cited a study into volatile substance abuse, being undertaken by public health scientists at St George's Hospital in London, which found that there has been a sharp increase in the number of deaths in the past decade.

He said the toll has risen with 64 deaths in England and Wales in 1997. More than 23 per cent of those were males aged between 15 and 19.

Mr Singleton, who recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, said that inhaling butane, as well as fire extinguishers, hairspray, glue and shoe conditioner, can very often be fatal.

He said the experiences of some sniffing would be excitement and the loss of inhibitions, disillusionment, audio and visual hallucinations, disorientation, blurred vision, slurred speech, drowsiness, unconsciousness and, in some cases, death. Clark's mother, Amanda Edwardson, said she suspected he had been experimenting and had sought help from drug agencies.

Close friend Simon White, of Billington Gardens, Billington, told the hearing that he and Clark had gone to a village shop to buy a bottle of fabric conditioner.

The pair had previously been banned from Avril Beattie's shop, but she agreed to serve them provided that they did not enter the shop. Simon said Clark gave him some money for a bottle of lighter fuel which he said was for his grandmother, Joan Rhodes, who lives in Billington Gardens.

Later that morning they went to Weaver's Croft to call on their friend, Michael Price, but when they arrived Clark, who was wearing an anorak despite the fine weather, disappeared around the side of a new detached house at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Simon went on to say that Clark was startled by a siren and ran off as if he thought the police were in the area. He collapsed on the front lawn of one of the houses and Simon hid the gas canister -- to avoid the pair getting into trouble -- before going to alert Clark's grandmother.

Julie Edwards found Clark in the garden of her Weaver's Croft home and she and neighbour, Susan Whitehead, tried to resuscitate Clark who was having difficulty breathing.

Clark was taken to the intensive care unit at Blackburn Royal Infirmary, and later transferred to Booth Hall.

Pathologist Dr Richard Prescott, based at Blackburn Royal Infirmary, carried out a post mortem examination and found that Clark had suffered serious cardiac and neurological damage.

His report stated that the cause of Clark's death was cardiac arhyhmia -- where the heart is damaged and adopts an irregular beat and is prone to stopping -- caused by butane inhalation.