A 37-year-old ‘family man’ died after a tragic fall, an inquest heard.

Christopher Paxford died on May 1 this year and an inquest took place this week at Bolton Coroners Court.

Mr Paxford, of The Croft, Haydock Stret,  had fallen through the roof of a derelict premises on Well Street, Bolton.

He was found by his friend and flatmate Daniel Barnes.

The inquest heard that Mr Barnes called an ambulance, and fire services and police arrived shortly after to assess the scene.

Mr Paxford was pronounced dead at 9.57pm on May 1, 2022, on the scene by paramedics.

The court heard that Mr Barnes had not seen Mr Paxford since April 30, but that he had previously gone with Mr Paxford to collect scrap metal.

Following concerns that Mr Paxford had not come back to his flat, Mr Barnes and his girlfriend Kayleigh Warren said they went to the mill to look for him, and they entered through a large hole.

In a statement given to the police Mr Barnes said: “We went in the warehouse and shouted out but had no response.

“I saw Christopher on the floor in the middle of the warehouse.

“I knew it was him straight away.

“My initial thought was if he had fallen through the roof.

“Kayleigh was with me the whole time and we knew he was dead.

“I was in complete shock and took a few moments to compose myself.”

Pathologist Dr Patrick Waulgh gave the medical cause of death as a fractured base of skull, consistent with a fall from a height.

The inquest heard Mr Paxford had one daughter and grew up in Westhoughton and was one of six siblings.

He previously worked in a call centre and was involved in the building trade and was ‘quite handy’.

Mr Paxford was close to his family and saw his mum almost every day.

Recording a conclusion of misadventure, area coroner Professor Dr Alan Walsh said: “It’s very difficult to say when he actually died because of the evidence of Mr Barnes who last saw him in the early hours of April 30, and he was found on May 1.

“Christopher went onto the roof deliberately to acquire some scrap metal and as a consequence he fell through the roof on to a concrete floor.

“I record misadventure as my conclusion because it was a deliberate act with unintended consequences.

"Anybody who goes on a roof puts their life in grave jeopardy.

“It only takes that one single moment to put one foot wrong.

“Nobody should be in this situation.

“It’s always extremely sad when someone dies, and at 37 years of age it is far too young.”