A young farmer killed himself following the breakdown of his marriage, an inquest heard.

Andrew Holden, 31, of Higher Bold Venture Farm in Oswaldtwistle, injected himself with a toxic substance on January 31 this year.

He died in Blackburn Hospital on February 3.

Assistant coroner Derek Baker heard from pathologist Dr Richard Prescott that his death was caused by a toxic substance.

Dr Prescott said: “I have never come across a cause of death caused by this drug.”

The assistant coroner asked Dr Prescott if there was anything that could be done to reverse the effects of the drug.

Dr Prescott replied: “My understanding is that it is more of a supportive treatment.

“You can support the heart, but there is no antidote.”

Mr Holden’s father William also gave evidence to the inquest at Blackburn Coroners Court.

He said his son began experiencing difficulties after the breakdown of his marriage.

He said: “That’s when we lost him, he’d lost interest in his work.

“He wanted a reconciliation but he didn’t know how to bring it about.

“She was living with her mother, but it was very amicable.

“He’d been in a bad place since September, he kept saying his head was mashed.”

Mr William Holden said Andrew had attempted self harm earlier in January.

He said that this earlier incident left him ‘only just conscious’.

Mr Holden added: “We never left him on his own, apart from that morning of January 2.”

Mr Holden said his son spent time in a mental health unit but he did not feel that it helped him.

He then told the hearing what happened on the day his son injected himself.

He said: “He’d crashed the pickup, he’d had a blackout and it took him half an hour to walk back.

“He pulled up both his sleeves and said ‘I’ve injected myself.’”

The inquest heard it took the ambulance half an hour to reach the farm and he was taken to hospital.

Mr Holden’s brother Peter told the inquest: “For him his sheep were more important to him than anything.

“They were his pride and joy.

“We never realised he had got this bad.”

Recording a verdict of suicide, assistant coroner Baker said: “Andrew had the support of a loving and loyal family.

“I don’t think you could have done anything more.

“This was a highly toxic substance.

“He knew the effects would be immediate and fatal.”