MYSTERY still surrounds the death of North-East man who was found dead in a ditch in Holland.

Shaun Cutler, the son-in-law of Gordon White, of Hartburn Lane, Stockton, Tees-side, made the grim discovery a fortnight after he had last been seen alive when watching an England football game with a friend.

Mr White, who had a history of heart problems, was working as a quantity surveyor near Rotterdam and living in Hellevoetsluis when he disappeared on November 15, 2003.

The inquest heard that when Mr White's family was alerted by his employers, his wife and son, Isabella and Philip, travelled to Holland to search for him. A few days later, Mr White's daughter, Jayne, and her husband, Shaun, joined the hunt.

Mr Cutler told Teesside Coroners' Court that after being told by the Dutch police that an investigation would not be opened until Mr White had been listed as missing for 14 days, the family decided to start looking themselves.

They tracked down the friend Mr White had watched the game with, a man known as PJ, and retraced the possible route he could have taken to make his way home.

Mr Cutler took the day off from the search on Sunday, November 30 as it was his birthday, so he decided to go for a jog and that was when he found the body in an irrigation ditch.

He said: "During the jog I noticed a training shoe that made me stop. I stood on a little bridge and checked the ditch. I thought I saw something like a carrier bag and decided to continue with the jog.

"But again I stopped, turned around and decided to check it out, and that was when I realised it was the top of Gordon's jacket."

Mr Cutler informed the police of his discovery and following an investigation they concluded there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr White's death.

North Tees University Hospital's orthodontic consultant Professor Brian Avery used dental records to identify Mr White when his body was returned to this country in December 2003.

Home office pathologist James Sunter told the hearing that the cause of death was due to drowning.

He said: "There could have been a recurrence of his heart rhythm problem that may have caused collapse or death, but that is purely speculation."

Assistant deputy Teesside coroner Tony Eastwood recorded an open verdict.