A HEALTHY young gym coach died of a virulent bug days after being admitted to hospital with a flu-like infection, a coroner was told yesterday.

Karl Bamberough, 26, a father-of-two who prided himself on being at the peak of physical fitness, was taken to the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City, after he was struck down by a streptococcal infection.

Durham Coroner Andrew Tweddle, who recorded a verdict of death from natural causes, was told that even if tests had been carried out, the results would have arrived back too late for anything to be done.

Mr Bamberough, who lived with his partner, Penny, in Perkinsville, near Chester-le-Street, was taken to hospital on New Year's Eve complaining of chest pains.

Consultant pathologist Paul Barrett said tests found evidence of the streptococcus bacteria in Mr Bamberough's lungs.

He said: "It is a particularly virulent strain and very damaging. It was just an unfortunate consequence of a very severe infection."

He said young, fit people, who feel they have flu-like symptoms, often left it to the stage where the infection was not recoverable.

In this case, antibiotics and intensive care treatment were not sufficient to reverse the process, said Dr Barrett.

Family members told the inquest Mr Bamberough had seen a GP about the symptoms, who had sent him home. The next day, another doctor sent him to hospital.

Dr Barrett said the illness produced the same symptoms as flu, but he said that for every case of streptococcus there were thousands of "common or garden type flu bugs" - and said a GP would find it difficult to pick it out.