GET rid of your chip pan now! That was the stark plea by the mother of a Selby fire victim, who died after putting the pan on, then falling asleep.

Kevin Lowery, 24, died following a fire at his Denison Road home on July 16, despite valiant rescue attempts by his brother, David.

Yesterday, an inquest heard he was the victim of a lethal and dangerous practice - drinkers returning home late and hungry, and falling asleep while cooking. Kevin, who had drunk the equivalent of eight pints on the day he died, had himself dozed off with the oven on four times previously.

North Yorkshire coroner Geoff Fell warned others of the dangers of cooking while drunk, while a leading firefighter and Kevin's mother, Patricia Morris, all urged people to put an end to chip pan tragedies.

Station manager Joe Calpin, of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, called chip pans "the most dangerous thing you can have in a house."

Fighting back tears, Mrs Morris said: "Since the moment he died all I have thought is 'why did we have a chip pan? Why? Why?' I would advise anyone not to have one. There's just no need."

The inquest heard that on the day of the fire, David and Kevin had been on a day trip to Ripon Races. They had both been drinking, and continued when they got back to Selby in the evening.

After three or four pints in the Olympia pub, the brothers went to the IT Bar on Ousegate. David stayed out but Kevin went home, where he turned on the chip pan to prepare a snack, and then fell asleep.

Fire engulfed the kitchen, and smoke spread to other rooms, but the fire brigade was not alerted until two hours later, when David returned home.

He made desperate attempts to find his brother, but was unable to do so. He told the inquest: "The smoke was so thick and black that I found it hard to breathe. I had to crawl outside to get fresh air."

After dialling 999, David went back into the house but was again beaten back.

Firefighters found Kevin's body in the lounge. A settee had been pulled away from the wall, and Mr Calpin suggested Kevin had been trying to get to the window to escape, when he collapsed due to the smoke.

Mr Calpin said people should not use chip pans at all. Anyone who preferred fried chips should use a deep fat fryer. He returned a verdict of death by misadventure.

Updated: 10:03 Wednesday, November 30, 2005