A WASTE disposal truck driver died after being buried in a mound of rubbish.

An inquest jury heard how Mr Richard Buckley (45) suffocated to death after being accidentally pushed by machinery into several feet of waste at White Reclamation Ltd in Eccles, where he worked.

Mr Buckley, of Fitzgerald Close, Prestwich, was discovered in a collapsed state in the transfer station by his work colleagues on July 18, 2003, and died later that day in hospital after efforts to resuscitate him failed.

A jury of six men and four women heard from pathologist Dr Mohammed Bashir that Mr Buckley had died from asphixia, which was consistent with being buried in the waste.

It was suggested that Mr Buckley, a married father-of-one, was searching for a lost mobile phone in the rubbish, although no-one actually saw what happened or was aware that he had begun a physical search of the waste.

Bolton Coroner's Court heard that on the day of his death, Mr Buckley had left his home as usual to go to work at the White Reclamation Centre, where he had worked as a HGV driver for three years.

In the afternoon he went to collect waste from C3 Imaging Manchester Ltd.

The company later contacted White Reclamation Ltd's transport manager Mr Peter Brown to say that one of their employees thought their mobile phone had fallen into the rubbish that had been collected, and whether it was possible the waste could be checked.

Giving evidence, Mr Brown said: "I asked the company to ring the mobile and asked Rick if he heard a ring to let me know. The intention was to isolate that waste. He said to me he would listen out for it."

Mr Brown said the waste, which had been tipped to the side inside the transfer station by Mr Buckley, could be safely looked through at the end of the day once all the machinery had stopped operating. He added: "There was no further conversation and it was later on that I became aware he was missing."

After tipping the load, Mr Buckley spoke to crane operator Mr Gary Cocker about the missing phone. Mr Cocker said he and his friend had a "quick browse round" in a pile of waste that was one and a half times the height of a man.

Neither of the men "rummaged" in the waste, as it was a sackable offence to do so, but they moved a couple of bags before deciding the task was impossible.

Summing up the case, Coroner Jennifer Leeming said: "Miss Sharon Butler of the Health and Safety Executive said that the results of her investigation broadly accorded with evidence heard here. No one could say exactly what had happened but in her view it seemed likely that one or the other or both shovels had pushed waste into the transfer station and Mr Buckley, obstructed by the waste, had been caught up in that maneouvre."

Paying tribute to Mr Buckley she added: "Colleagues described him as a friend and a "very nice bloke". You can't say more than that."

The jury concluded that Mr Buckley had died as a result of an accident.

The directors of White Reclamation Ltd issued a statement after the hearing to say the accident came as a great shock to the company and they were committed to safeguarding health, safety and welfare of both employees and visitors to the site. They expressed their deepest condolences to Mr Buckley's family.

It added: "As this matter is still the subject of an ongoing Health and Safety Executive investigation, it would be inappropiate to comment upon specific facts at this time."