A 28-year-old father ransacked the house he and his girlfriend were days away from moving into and then hanged himself, an inquest heard.

Lorry driver, Dennis Biggs, smashed up furniture and wrote on the walls with black paint before taking his own life last October, Worcestershire coroner Victor Round said.

He told girlfriend, Samantha Sztybel, that "there wouldn't be a next time" after she said she would not keep ringing him on the night of his death.

The phone conversations took place after Mr Biggs, of Dorsett Road in Stourport, went to their prospective new house, in Kidderminster, on his own.

He was due to go to a pub to watch a football match with Miss Sztybel but the two split up on the way after a row.

During the phone calls, Mr Round said Dennis "mentioned about not being able to move on from the past, but he did not sound upset".

Miss Sztybel had "no indication that Dennis intended to harm himself or that he had been drinking" and last spoke to him at 10.08pm on October 13.

He also spoke to her mother, Susan Sztybel, and "had been crying and said that he couldn't do any more."

Mr Round said at Tuesday's inquest in Stourport: "Dennis had asked her to give the baby a kiss and a hug from him."

After being told he should not be at the house as the couple were due to move in on Saturday, Dennis said that "will never happen".

Mr Biggs spoke on the phone to his mother and said he "wasn't all right".

On October 14 his girlfriend called Mr Biggs but calls to both his mobile phones went to voicemail.

She drove to their new house but could not open the front door because it was deadlocked.

Mr Round said: "Samantha looked through the front door letterbox and she saw that items had been smashed and everything was on top of each other."

She flagged down a passing police car at 11am and officers broke in through the back kitchen door.

Here they found "further sign of damage" with furniture and glass having been "smashed up everywhere".

There was writing on the walls of the house, Mr Round said.

Dennis was found hanging in an upstairs front bedroom.

Recording a verdict that Mr Biggs took his own life, Mr Round said "not an awful lot" of alcohol was found in Mr Biggs's blood.