A MAN died after cutting his arm when he punched through his front window.

The man suffered a heavy loss of blood following the incident in St Paul's Terrace, Holgate, York, near St Paul's Primary School, at about 1am yesterday.

Shocked neighbours say they heard the man banging on the door and shouting to be let inside his house. Moments later they heard him "hitting his hand through the window".

It is understood the man's partner then turned up about ten minutes later and found him slumped outside, bleeding heavily. She raised the alarm.

A neighbour said: "It's really awful. We were told he had severed an artery and bled to death after putting his fist through the window.

"Nobody knew - it just sounded like another domestic argument."

The window has now been boarded up and the pavement cleared of blood.

"It's awful to think that I was in my front room and could have done something to save him if I had known," another neighbour said.

"It's one of those freak accidents."

A third neighbour told the Evening Press: "I'm so shocked. I was fast asleep when it was all kicking off - I didn't hear a thing."

Inspector Alex Brandon said: "I can confirm that the man was found in the street and taken to hospital by ambulance.

"Police inquiries have taken place and there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances."

An ambulance spokeswoman said paramedics attended the scene and took the man to York Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Updated: 11:27 Monday, August 04, 2003