Mr Lee was attacked just yards from his home in Langley Park

Barrie Lee, 59, had spent the evening playing bingo with his wife in the village of Langley Park on the evening of 25 March.

He failed to regain consciousness after being taken to Newcastle General Hospital, after the incident just yards from his home.

Two women aged 43 and 19 who were arrested on suspicion of assault, remain on police bail pending further inquiries.

Police say Mr Lee had become involved in an argument with at least two other people in Rose Terrace, close to his home in Ivy Terrace, after he left the club at around 2335 GMT.

His wife Christine went home to get help from her 25-year-old son Michael, but by the time she returned her husband was unconscious on the pavement.

A spokesman for Durham Police said: "A man who was seriously injured after he was the victim of a suspected assault yards from his home earlier this week has today died in hospital.

"Mr Lee's wife Christine and other members of the family were at his bedside when he died.

"A Home Office pathologist is conducting tests to establish a cause of death and this will determine the future shape of the investigation."