A REFUSE collector whose father died of cancer hanged himself after he himself underwent treatment for the disease.

But tests after he died showed no sign of cancer.

Stephen Joseph Berry, 43, was found dead on May 5 on the stairway landing of his home in Hope Carr Road, Leigh. He had hanged himself while his partner was at work an inquest at Leigh heard.

Yvonne Braddock, who had lived with Mr Berry for "18 good years" described him as "a lovely man".

She said he had been diagnosed as having cancer in March 1999 and he had a bowel tumour removed and underwent chemotherapy in December of that year.

Although he went for a checkup and was told the results "were looking good" he found it difficult to come to terms with the original cancer diagnosis.

"He had watched his dad die of cancer," Ms Braddock stated.

"At times Stephen was on all fours with pains in his stomach."

She said two years before his death he had threatened to harm himself and had taken an overdose of alcohol and tablets but recovered in hospital.

She was concerned about what he might do to himself and contacted mental health workers but he wasn't visited because of the volume of work.

"I feel he should have had more help. He needed their support. Stephen was quite rational. They should have listened to him," said Ms Braddock.

Coroner Simon Nelson heard how Mr Berry had told a community psychiatric nurse 'he might be better out of it' and had been prescribed medication to counteract depression.

On the day of the tragedy she had gone to work at 6.30am and returned at 11 o'clock and her daughter, Karen Derbyshire, had called for a drink. She noticed a kitchen chair was missing, shouted Mr Berry's name and, on getting no reply, phoned friends.

John Atherton of Hood Grove, Leigh went to the house with his wife and they found Mr Berry hanging from a chord secured around a pickaxe handle fixed in the loft opening.

A kitchen chair was on its side at the top of the landing. The Athertons attempted resuscitation after taking Mr Berry's body in to a bedroom.

"We tried to help but he was dead when we got there. He was suffering from depression. He had his good days and his bad days -- but more bad than good."

A post mortem revealed no evidence of disease and gave the cause of death as strangulation by ligature.

Recording a verdict that Mr Berry took his own life coroner Mr Nelson said: "This is an extremely sad inquiry. I feel his decision was taken while he was suffering from depressive illness."