TWO brothers found dead in Stoneclough had up to six times the lethal limit of ecstasy in their blood after taking drugs bought on the "dark web".

Torin and Jacques Lakeman were found dead at The Grapes pub in Stoneclough on December 1 last year — and now Coroner Alan Walsh is writing to home secretary Theresa May to address the issue of buying illicit substances online.

Born on the Isle of Man, Torin, aged 19, and 20-year-old Jacques were staying in Bolton ahead of Manchester United's match with Hull City at Old Trafford.

Having been to the match on November 29, they returned to the pub and were last seen at about 9.30pm.

On Monday morning, pub staff found their bodies in room five, with one brother still wearing his United shirt.

An inquest heard how the brothers had both been troubled in the past.

Aspiring chef Jacques had moved to London to live with his grandmother in a bid to change his ways, having been treated for alcohol dependency, and admitted to hospital four times in the past for drug overdoses.

Torin, a second-year physics student at Aberystwyth University, had self-harmed weeks before his death, with the court hearing how he was "distressed" at the break-up of a relationship on his home island, and upset when his advances on a second girl at university were spurned.

He was also known to climb onto buildings and attempt dangerous stunts after drinking, and had taken ecstasy in the past.

The younger of the two brothers had ordered MDMA — the active ingredient in ecstasy tablets — on a website called Agora from an anonymous vendor called Stone Island.

They accessed the site using Tor, or The Onion Router, a secure browser best known for its use to access the "dark web".

The substances were delivered to his house in Aberystwyth through the post.

The court was told by Dr Patrick Waugh, a consultant histopathologist at the Royal Bolton Hospital, that Jacques had 6.15mg per litre of ecstasy in his blood, while Torin had 7.08 mg.

He said that amounted to "five to six" times the amount which is medically classed as a lethal dose.

Ethan Bradley, a friend of Torin's at university, said Agora cannot be accessed by a normal web browser and described it as being protected by "a firewall".

Another package arrived the day after his death, which Mr Bradley gave to police, but this was empty.

After ruling that both men died from misuse of ecstasy, Mr Walsh said: "I want to bring this to the attention of the home secretary and the police.

"I am well aware that it is a global problem and there may be little that can be done to avoid these supply lines being used.

"The deaths of Jacques Lakeman and Torin Lakeman identify a problem in the dark web.

"Although the dark web may be difficult for my generation to access, young people who have natural ability with regard to the internet will find it much easier to access these sites.

"As a father and grandfather, I find this a frightening prospect."

The brothers were the only children of Raymond Lakeman, whose wife Sarah was too distressed to attend, the court was told.

Jacques was due back in London with his grandmother at 6pm on Sunday, and the alarm was raised when he did not arrive.

Mr Lakeman said: "As soon as my mother said she had not heard from him, we tried to contact both of their mobiles.

"Jacques's was turned off and Torin was going to voicemail.

"We thought it was possible they might be having a good time."

Shortly afterwards, the deaths of the brothers became known.

Landlord of The Grapes, William Pilkington, had gone to Italy after the brothers had arrived, but flew home when he heard the news.

He said: "I feel for the family more than anything else. I could not believe it.

"My condolences to the family."

Pub staff said the brothers had clearly been drinking when they arrived back from the match, but were not causing any trouble.

They went to a nearby shop and bought two bottles of WKD and some chewing gum.

One of the brothers was last seen at about 9.30pm when he came down from their room to the bar because the internet was not working.

Michael Kidd, a staff member, had gone to clean the rooms when he noticed that the door to room five was locked.

With the brothers having paid the balance on arrival, he assumed they had checked out but forgotten to return the key.

A police investigation confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Mr Walsh expressed his condolences to the brothers' parents, describing their grief as "unimaginable".