A man killed himself in his car after splitting up with his girlfriend, an inquest in Oxford heard.

The body of Martin Morgan, 39, of Laburnum Road, Didcot, was found in his car parked in a barn at Milton Heights on March 15.

The vehicle, which had its engine running with a pipe taped to the exhaust, was spotted at about 7.45am by a woman out walking her dog.

Police and paramedics were called but Mr Morgan was already dead.

The inquest heard that Mr Morgan, a warehouse worker, had split up from his girlfriend Michelle Weir, of Didcot, on March 13.

In a statement read out at the inquest, Miss Weir said she had picked up an answerphone message from Mr Morgan the following day, when she was in London, saying he was going to kill himself.

She called a housemate who went to Mr Morgan's house, then called the police.

Police who attended the scene concluded there were no suspicious circumstances.

Rebecca Morgan, of Milton Heights, told the inquest she and Mr Morgan had married in April 1996, but had since separated.

She said Mr Morgan had called her from a pub on March 13 to say he had split up from his girlfriend, and that he did not know what to do.

Mrs Morgan said he was drunk, and sounded troubled but would not tell her where he was.

She also confirmed that her late husband had been taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in August 2001 after taking an overdose of painkillers.

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict that Mr Morgan had taken his own life.