Clayton-le-Woods house collapse death was suicide, coroner rules

Carl Whalley was killed in a suspected explosion at his home in Clayton-le-Woods

A man killed in a house collapse intended to take his own life, a coroner has ruled.

Carl Whalley, 57, died after a suspected explosion at his semi-detached dormer bungalow in Clayton-le-Woods, Lancashire.

A post-mortem examination gave Mr Whalley's cause of death as smoke inhalation and burns.

Assistant coroner Janine Wolstenholme returned a conclusion of suicide on Tuesday at Preston Coroner's Court.

Emergency services were called to the scene of the collapse, originally treated as the result of a suspected gas explosion, at about 13:30 GMT on 15 October 2021.

But an investigation by gas company Cadent later found no fault with gas mains and pipes.

A police investigation confirmed there was "no evidence of any third-party involvement" in the incident

Lancashire Police previously said officers were following several lines of inquiry including allegations about a dispute before his death.

But the force's investigation since confirmed Mr Whalley's death was not suspicious and there was "no evidence of any third-party involvement".

It said its investigation had "involved some really complex and meticulous work".

'Life will never be the same'

At the time of Mr Whalley's death, his family paid tribute to "the centre of our world".

"No amount of time will lessen the pain that we are all going through," the statement said.

His daughter, Charlotte added: "Everything I do in my life I do to make my Mum and Dad proud.

"I want to carry on in my Dad's footsteps and make sure that his legacy lives on forever. He taught me everything I know and my life will never be the same without him."

One neighbour said he was at home with his wife, who initially thought the house collapse was a washing machine that had "blown up".

"We went outside and the whole of the front of the house had blown out completely."

If you're affected by the issues in this piece, you can find support from BBC Action Line.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, X and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]