AN eight-month-old boy drowned in the bath after falling out of a baby seat when his mum's back was turned, an inquest has heard.

Distraught parent Sophie Henry made a desperate bid to save her baby Joseph's life by performing mouth-to-mouth after finding him face-down in the tub moments after leaving the room.

Despite her and paramedics' best efforts, the infant died shortly afterwards in hospital.

Yesterday's inquest at Blackburn Town Hall heard how Sophie was in the bath with Joseph before she got out and her middle son, three-year-old son Jacob, got into the tub.

"I was feeling hot and dizzy so I wrapped myself in a towel and got some cold water from the tap," Sophie said of the tragedy on May 28.

"I stepped out onto the landing to get my nightdress. I had my back to the bath but wasn't far away.

"When I turned around the first thing I noticed was that the bath chair was empty."

Forensic pathologist Naomi Carter said a post-mortem confirmed the cause of death as drowning.

Detective Inspector Warren Atkinson revealed tests on the baby seat showed it had been properly secured in the bath.

But he said that the suckers at the bottom of the chair came away easily when water was in the tub.

He added: "It was clear he was a much-loved baby and that he was growing up in a warm, homely environment."

The make of the baby bath seat was not named in the course of the inquest.

Speaking afterwards, Sophie, from Darwen, Lancs., said: "I was only a few feet away when this happened and now my life has changed forever.

"I'm going to do everything I can to raise awareness about these bath seats. I hope and pray no other parent has to go through this."

Joseph's dad Ben Craddock also paid tribute to his son.

He said: "To me and Sophie, he was the most perfect little boy in the world. He was so loved by his mummy and daddy, his brothers and all of his friends and family.

"This was a horrible accident and the loss of him in our lives will never become easier. I plead that people reading this will just stop and think when they have their children around water.

"Make sure you are prepared and don't run the risk of leaving them, even for a second. I hope that Joseph's story will make others realise how devastatingly life-changing it could be if they did."

Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Richard Taylor said: "It must be very difficult to sit here and relive all of this, and I have sympathy for you all."

A spokeswoman for Lancashire Police confirmed they were not investigating the incident any further.