A factory worker who had not been seen for about nine hours was found dead, having apparently been crushed.

Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers, who carried out a post-mortem examination on 42-year-old Anthony Simon Davies, gave the cause of death as “crush asphyxia”.

At the opening of an inquest in Ruthin John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, said that Mr Davies, of Maes-y-Coed, Flint, died at the Kimberly-Clark tissue factory in Aber Road, Flint, on February 10.

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That morning colleagues realised that he was missing and he was found at 7.14am after last being seen at about 10pm the previous evening.

“My understanding is that he may have been crushed by a large bale of paper,” said the coroner.

 He said that North Wales Police had indicated that no criminal offence had been committed and so the investigation would be left in the hands of the Health and Safety Executive.

The inquest was adjourned to a date to be fixed.