A man was found hanged in a barn by a woman walking her dog, an inquest heard.

Ian McKelly, 50, of Porters Close, Fordham Heath, was found dead in Chitts Hill, Colchester, last November.

Coroner's officer John Denham said a few days before his death, Mr McKelly told his partner his hours had been cut and he felt unwell. The next day his partner woke to find he was not there.

Mr Denham said that the day after that, he was reported missing to police and the next day a dog walker found his body hanging from a beam in a barn.

Mr McKelly's partner, Linda Dollar, who had been with him for about a year, told the inquest he had never talked about taking his own life.

Essex coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray concluded the inquest by saying: "I'm going to record a verdict that Ian David McKelly killed himself."