Steve Sinnott, 56, who taught at Broughton High School, was found dead on Saturday morning after suffering a suspected heart attack.

He had been general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) for four years and was due to speak at a union rally in Deepdale later this month.

Pat Probin, Preston secretary of the NUT, said the news was a "big blow" for union members and everyone who knew the grandad-of-two.

She said: "Steve was an excellent, hard-working teacher who was very well-liked by pupils and respected by the head and governors. We worked together for about five years and I still saw him socially, the last time at a conference only two weeks ago."

Mr Sinnott moved to Broughton High School in 1979, where he became head of economics and business studies. He used to live in Penwortham, with his two children and wife Mary, a primary school teacher.

Frank Shuttleworth, a former NUT Lancashire divisional secretary, remembers Mr Sinnott's successful fight for better pay for supply teachers in the county in the early 1980s.

He said: "The union was Steve's natural home. He was in his element fighting on behalf of teachers. His death is a tragedy for education and for the union."

Ken Cridland, Lancashire secretary of the NUT, said: "It is an extremely sad day for myself and the union as a whole. He has been a driving force and we have lost a stalwart and a fine leader."

To read the rest of this article see Monday's Evening Post.