A BALIFF'S demand over a £500 debt sent an East Lancashire man into a spiral of worry and anxiety, an inquest heard.

Andrew Giles, 42, talked about the visit repeatedly with his wife Donna and was concerned that baliffs would call to seize goods from his home, Burnley Coroner's Court was told.

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But Mr Giles' father Keith believed that the couple were about to split and Mrs Giles had been seen talking to another man shortly before Andrew's death.

Mr Giles, of Wasdale Close, Padiham, was found hanged by his wife on August 23 at their home, the inquest was told.

A post mortem examination showed alcohol in his system, equivalent to more than three times the drink-driving limit and therapeutic levels of propranolol, a beta blocker.

In a statement, Mrs Giles said that about two weeks before his death her husband, a county council grounds maintenance worker, had received a visit from baliffs over a £500 debt.

The court heard she was not overly concerned about the demand but her husband - 'a worrier' - talked about it often.

On the night before his death he had been down to nearby allotments for a drink with family and friends and had returned.

He had a 'disagreement' with his wife, the inquest heard, which she did not think was serious, and she went to an aunt's house for a while, returning later.

Later she found him slumped beside their bed. Although she contacted the emergency services, he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards, the court heard.

But the deceased's father, Keith Giles said Mrs Giles had been seen talking to a man outside their home, on the night of his death, and he had later learned they were about to separate.

Questioned by East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor at the hearing, Mrs Giles denied the father's claims, saying she was having a drink with a neighbour on the night.

Mr Giles senior said his son had not spoken of any concerns before his death, but indicated he was 'very private' and 'secretive'.

Recording a suicide verdict, the coroner said: "We cannot read people's minds - we cannot get in there and quite understand how something may have made him react.

"But he has done a deliberate act and I have little option to return a conclusion that he took his own life."