DEVIZES grandmother June Bolwell is urging health authorities to publicise the condition sleep apnoea after her 20-year-old grandson became one of the youngest people ever to die from the disorder.

Steven Latty, who was born in Devizes but moved with his family to Northumberland when he was five, was found dead in bed by his fiance at their flat in Blyth, near Newcastle upon Tyne, two weeks ago.

Twenty-year-old Carolyne Manton immediately called the emergency services but was told by ambulance paramedics that Steven, a chef at a local pub, had probably been dead for two hours before she found him.

He had been diagnosed with sleep apnoea at the beginning of January but his family are asking why he had not received the specially designed mask that could have saved his life.

Mrs Bolwell, speaking from her home in Hillworth Road this week, said: "We are all absolutely devastated. Steven was a lovely boy, full of fun, a really popular lad.

"We had no idea this condition could be fatal.

"If we had, we would have insisted he had the mask. Instead, we had to find out this way. So I want everyone out there to know about this condition because it is more common than you think and I would hate anyone else to have to go through what I'm going through."

Sleep apnoea, which affects about one in 50 of the population, is a disorder that causes people to stop breathing in their sleep.

It reduces the body's blood oxygen level, causing carbon dioxide levels to rise. In most cases this alerts the brain, resulting in a resumption of breathing.

It is most common among middle-aged men with collar size of 17 and over, because the fat and muscle around the neck constricts breathing when they relax into sleep.

The process can occur many times during the night, causing interrupted sleep and fatigue during the day and is accompanied by heavy snoring.

It is alleviated by a "positive pressure mask" which makes sure the airways stay open by gently blowing air through the nose.

Death from the condition is extremely rare and mostly affects people in middle age and older.

It is almost unknown for people as young as Mr Latty to die from it.

Mrs Bolwell made the journey to Blyth for his funeral last week, despite suffering from the lung disease emphysema, which requires her to carry a supply of oxygen everywhere.

She said: "Everyone was devastated. They just couldn't believe he is gone. He was a great Newcastle United fan and he was cremated wearing his club shirt.

"He was such a lovely lad. The family now wants an inquiry to find out why he wasn't given his mask in time."

Mr Latty was born in Devizes Hospital, the eldest son of Mrs Bolwell's daughter Caroline.

He grew up in Devizes and briefly attended St Peter's Primary School before the family moved north.