A MAN collapsed in front of his wife just hours after returning from a shopping trip.

Leslie Smith, aged 58, of Windsor Road, Golborne, had complained of chest pains four days before his death on September 25 last year.

It was originally believed some food had lodged in his throat, causing him to choke. But Dr David Barker, consultant at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, believed he had suffered a heart attack.

Coroner Aidan Cotter recorded a verdict of death by natural causes at Wigan Magistrates Court.

After the hearing, Mr Smith's wife Marlene said: "It was all so sudden and he had always appeared to be as fit as a fiddle. It's a real tragedy."