'Open' conclusion recorded at the inquest of lifelong Wigan Athletic fan Darren Orme who drowned in the canal

Darren Orme was a “passionate” Latics supporter, a lifelong season ticket-holder who went to every possible game and was involved with the youth teams.

The 54-year-old was described as a “cheeky, funny, sometimes introverted type of person” who became “larger-than-life” when at the club.

But a Bolton Coroner’s Court inquest heard the machine operator was made redundant from Bakkavor in Ince and, despite securing similar work elsewhere, was made redundant again just three weeks later.

Darren became worried about paying his bills after the second redundancy, even though he had enough money to cover living costs for a year.

Sister Alison Simm said Darren “spiralled” after losing his job and she thought he was undergoing “some kind of breakdown”.

On Wednesday, March 5 she visited Darren’s Beech Hill Lane home with husband Steven to find him “agitated and frustrated”, worrying he was behind on energy bills and would lose his house.

She said: “We spent hours at his house and went through everything trying to show him he was in credit with everything, he wasn’t in debt with anything, but he couldn’t comprehend what we were saying.”

The inquest heard Darren had never used the internet and did not have a smartphone and his sister suspected he had undiagnosed autism.

When he went to Wigan Jobcentre to inquire about benefits, he was advised to apply by phone as he did not know how to do it online.

Lorraine Breakwell, service delivery work coach at the centre, said she gave Darren phone numbers he would need to make the claim.

The court heard about phone calls Darren made to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to apply for benefits.

While the full transcript was not read out, coroner John Pollard said during the conversation there was “clearly a failure by him to understand what on earth was going on”.

Mr Pollard questioned why staff at Wigan Jobcentre could not apply for him, but DWP universal credit service leader Daniel Searson said there were insufficient resources.

Darren’s brother-in-law Steven Simm asked why call handlers did not identify whether claimants were vulnerable, after hearing this was only assessed at a later in-person appointment.

This point was welcomed by the coroner who asked DWP’s counsel to take it back to them for consideration.

Darren was reported missing on March 5 and a search began, with underwater search teams, drones, media appeals and crowds of friends, relatives and strangers helping out.

His body was found at lock 88 of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal on March 24 and a post-mortem examination concluded he died by drowning.

The court heard there was no evidence Darren had planned to harm himself or anything to explain how he came to be in the water.

Mr Pollard recorded an open conclusion.

After the hearing, Darren’s family paid tribute to the coroner, police and the public for their help to search for him, especially Harry Bristow, landlord of the Brickmakers Arms, and Darren’s friend Mick Wimsey.