RETIRED builder Colin Taylor's death at a remote farm at Edgworth remains a mystery, an inquest was told.

The hearing was told that Mr Taylor suffered a fractured skull, broken back and broken ribs on both sides in an incident which happened in a shed when there was no-one else present.

The pathologist who carried out a post-mortem examination was told that Mr Taylor had fallen off a ladder but Mr Taylor's son told inquest that his father was afraid of heights.

And a police officer said he could find no signs that Mr Taylor had climbed into a roof storage area in the shed. Mr Taylor of Blackburn Road, Edgworth, was taken to Bolton Infirmary following the incident at Walleach Farm, Bury Road, Edgworth, on May 9 this year. He died there the following day as a result of multiple injuries. Despite being conscious for much of the time after being discovered in the shed he did not tell anyone how he had come by his injuries.

Mr Taylor was visiting his friend Molly Holden at the farm on the night of his death. They had left his house together, she to feed the dogs and him to get some milk from the fridge in the shed and a hammer to fix her clogs. Miss Holden said she was feeding the dogs when she heard Mr Taylor shout out her name. She saw him lying on the floor inside the shed and immediately ran to the farm and raised the alarm. She was joined by her brother, Joseph, his wife Nancy, a trained nurse, and their daughter Jane.

Miss Holden said she had no idea how Mr Taylor had come by his injuries.

Mr Holden said he could not account for the injuries, but he said there had been no disagreement with anybody at the farm during the day of Mr Taylor's death.

Nancy Holden said Mr Taylor was conscious when she got to him. He was complaining of being in pain and said he wanted to stand up despite the fact there was blood coming from an ear and his nose.

He was agitated, but seemed to calm down when his son, Christopher arrived.

Christopher said his dad was frightened of heights and would not have climbed the ladder to the loft. "If he wore two pairs of socks he got a nose bleed," said Christopher.

Mrs Holden said she could see Mr Taylor had hit his head hard and thought he might have banged it on something. Recording a verdict of accidental death the coroner, Michael Singleton said Mr Taylor had died as a result of the injuries sustained in the shed.