A 54-YEAR-old man killed himself because of his struggle to find work, an inquest heard yesterday.

Arthur Raymond Henry, of Lime Grove, Shildon, hanged himself three months after he was made redundant and his hopes of re-employment were dashed.

A week earlier, he had called his sister, Margaret Heightly, for help after taking an overdose.

She said: "He lived alone and had said it got pretty lonely, especially when he was not working.

"He had hoped to be called back to work if a new contract was secured but that never happened, which upset him."

Mrs Heightly's son, Ian, found his uncle hanged over the stairs when the two went round to check on him.

Darlington and South Durham coroner Colin Penna, sitting at Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Court, recorded a verdict of suicide.