An inquest heard Mr Steven Holland had suffered from depression and had problems with debt in the two years before his death. But his father, Mr Ralph Holland, said the family had sorted everything out and he thought his son had come through his low.

Mr Holland told how a man had been demanding money from his son claiming cash he had given him as a friend had, in fact, only been a loan. Windows at Steven's house in Hapton had been broken and the building "egged".

Mr Holland arranged to meet the man in Burnley town centre and offered him a sum of money to "end this nonsense" and the man agreed.

He told how Steven visited the day before Mr Holland and his wife were due to go on holiday to Spain. "Everything was normal, he just wanted to say have a nice holiday," said Mr Holland.

Four days later Mr Adam Marshal was walking his dogs through the woods when he saw the figure of a man. On closer inspection he saw it was a man suspended from a tree by a ligature around his neck.

An envelope found in Steven's back pocket had written on it: "Dear Mum, Dad and Chris, I'm sorry this was the only way. I'm at peace now, love you all. Steven"

The medical cause of death was given as hanging and coroner Mr Michael Singleton recorded a verdict he had killed himself.