A “respected” man known to many as ‘Ossie Dave’ took his own life, an inquest has concluded.

The inquest at Accrington Town Hall heard how David Holden, 57, originally from Oswaldtwistle, was found hanged in an area of woodland in Hapton on October 5.

Mr Holden was not known to suffer from any mental health issues and friends present at the inquest said they saw no cause for concern, and his death was a total surprise.

Coroner Laura Fox told the inquest at 6.03pm on October 5 police received reports from two teenage boys that they had found a body in a wooded area.

PC Justin Limb attended and located identification documents along with house and car keys, while his colleague PC Nuttall found a bank card.

The vehicle the car key belonged to was registered and insured to Mr Holden, while in the property the car was registered to, PC Limb found a driving license and passport.

He was satisfied that from the documents found and the pictures in the identification, the person they had found was Mr Holden.

Paramedics attended the scene at 6.46pm and confirmed the man was deceased.

Damian Ramsden, Mr Holden’s best friend of 46 years, said: “We were bottle diggers and we’d go metal detecting.

"We’d dig up Victorian tips and we’ve done that since we were about 11.

“He’s made a life out of that. He was the best bottle restorer in the North West of England, he’s really respected in that sphere.

“He’s known to people outside the area as ‘Ossie Dave’.

“We were really good mates for years, since meeting at Rhyddings School in Oswaldtwistle. He was a really straight guy.”

Ms Fox noted in her closing statement that it was clear how loved he was and how missed he is. She recorded a conclusion of suicide.