A British man who was fascinated with explosives blew himself up after putting a home-made pipe bomb in his mouth and lighting the fuse.

Kevin Barnes, 20, of Joseph Priestly Court in Daventry, took the device into his mouth and flicked a lighter as his petrified flatmates and girlfriend looked on.

The bomb, which might have been created using instructions from a book on explosives, then blew up, causing him serious head injuries, and he died on the same day.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Northamptonshire Coroner Anne Pember said she was satisfied he had not intended to take his own life.

Mr Barnes was described as a risk-taker with a history of harming himself and the inquest heard he had a short temper.

His girlfriend, Elizabeth Elliot, said: "My opinion was that Kevin was mucking about but didn't actually mean for the pipe bomb to go off.