A DEPRESSED Nelson man took a massive overdose of tablets to deliberately end his life, an inquest heard.

Thomas Stubbley, 43, of Ringstone Crescent, was on anti-depressants but took more than four times the amount that can prove fatal.

The Burnley inquest was told he was found in bed on April 18 surro-unded by empty packets of the medication.

His sister Maureen Green said he had suffered depression for a long time with lots of ups and downs but before his death he seemed fine and was excited about starting a new job.

But the education welfare officer added: "He would not be silly enough to take a handful without knowing what it could do. If he has taken a lot of pills he has done it deliberately."

And she told how, after a row a few years ago, he had swallowed a few tablets out of anger but a dose he knew would not kill him.

Pathologist Dr Abdul al Dowd gave the cause of death as an excessive amount of anti-depress-ants saying 14 micro-grammes per litre had been found in his blood -- 3.4 microgrammes are enough to cause death.

Coroner Richard Taylor said: "For a reason we will never know, he decided he was going to take a very large amount of pills.

"It leaves me with no alternative but to record a verdict he took his own life."