A man died in a van fire in a layby near an Oxfordshire village pub, an inquest held in Oxford has heard. 

Paul Lambie, 55, died after a van caught alight on the A436 at the junction with the A44 outside the Greedy Goose near Chastleton on May 12.

Emergency services rushed to the main road at about 8am to find the silver Volkswagen Transporter van ablaze.

Mr Lambie was a painter and decorator who resided at Shakespeare Avenue, Clydebank.

An inquest, held on November 4 at Oxford Coroner's Court, heard that Mr Lambie had been staying in an Airbnb in Chipping Norton while working with colleagues on a shop fitting in Moreton-in-Marsh. 

READ MORE: Modern Art Oxford 'transformed' by huge refurbishment

(Image: James Rewell) On the morning of May 12, his colleagues were worried as he hadn’t turned up to work, the court was told. 

Mr Lambie told them his van had broken down and was awaiting recovery, but it later transpired that he had not called the AA. 

A post-mortem, carried out by pathologist Anna Biddlestone, concluded the cause of death to be consistent with the effects of a fire. 

The inquest heard the body was found in a footwell positioned behind the driver’s seat in a recovery style position and that it was severely burnt. 

A statement provided by Mr Lambie’s partner June Fairgrieve was read out by the coroner Joanna Coleman. 

It said: “I knew Paul for 12 years. Our relationship was good from the start. He initially enjoyed working away but the business took a downturn during Covid.” 

The inquest heard Mr Lambie had a history of depression, which was heightened when he was working away after the pandemic. 

Ms Fairgrieve’s statement added: “It came as a total shock that he had died.” 

A statement was also provided by his friend and business partner Stuart Gavin.

It said that they grew up together and that Mr Gavin had concerns about Mr Lambie’s mental health. 

Mr Lambie's colleague Craig Anton was working on the job in Moreton-in-Marsh with him.

In a statement, he said: “Paul was stressing at work, his head was all over the place. I'm totally shocked by what has happened.”

Fire investigator Peter McKay told the inquest that extensive investigations had been carried out on the van after the fire. 

He said: “The vehicle was extensively damaged throughout. In the rear of the vehicle was painting and decorating equipment. 

“Under the seat of the vehicle, we identified wires and electrical equipment including large batteries.

"They were fitted in a DIY manner with very little protection around them. They were consistent with fitting a van out to be used as a campervan.”

Mr McKay added that it was not possible to determine exactly how the fire started. 

Ms Coleman gave a narrative conclusion, as there was not enough evidence for an exact cause of death. She offered her condolences to his family. 

Help support trusted local news 

Sign up for a digital subscription now: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe/

As a digital subscriber you will get:      

  • Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website   
  • Advert-light access       
  • Reader rewards       
  • Full access to our app