A MAN was found dead by staff at a service station near Winchester after he took his own life.

An inquest heard how Andrew Rynkiewicz was found at the Days Inn hotel at Shroner Wood services, on the M3 southbound, on February 17 when staff noticed he’d failed to check out of his room on time.

Along with his personal items emergency services found a bag and suicide note - copies of which had been sent to members of his family and his landlord the day before, the hearing was told.

The 51-year-old mechanical engineer from Bracknell had suffered a long history of severe depression which led him to check-in to the hotel where he died.

In a rare moment, the senior coroner for Central Hampshire, Grahame Short, read out part of Mr Rynkiewicz’s note.

In it he apologised to whoever would find him, explaining his death would not be a danger to anyone else.

The hearing was told emergency services were called to fumigate the room before he could be formally identified.

“I have suffered with depression since childhood and now at the stage where I cannot really function,” he wrote.

Mr Short recorded a verdict of suicide.