A man found on fire wedged between two bins in an alleyway had earlier warned his former partner she would see him “burn in hell's flames”, an inquest was told.

Dad-of-two Michael Partridge was discovered by a passing couple who thought it was just a bin fire until they heard a noise and pulled two of the wheelie bins apart to see him sitting up against a wall in flames at the back of Dean Street, Ilkley.

The inquest in Bradford yesterday heard how Greggs worker Catherine Kenworthy, of Dean Street, Ilkley, had broken off a relationship with 57-year-old Mr Partridge becaue of rows, and demanded her house keys back.

The day of the fire on March 4, 2011 the dad-of-two, who was still married and previously lived in Shaftesbury Avenue, Shipley, had pleaded with Mrs Kenworthy not to split up with him and had followed her to her bakery job in the town wanting to talk but she told him to go away in case her boss saw.

In a statement read out at the inquest Mrs Kenworthy said he had been sending a number of texts intimating he would take his own life and had nothing to live for.

In a phone conversation after work that day she she had rung Mr Patridge asking for her house keys back, but he had told her that the keys would be the least of her problems and said: “I will burn in hell's flames. You'll see.”

She went home, locked herself in and found a note screwed up meant for Mr Partridge's daughters, telling them to look after their mother and also discovered a noose made out of washing line down the side of an armchair.

Business consultant Tony Dexter, who made the grim discovery, with his wife told the inquest how they had been driving home down Leeds Roadwhen they spotted flames above an 8ft wall.

“My wife thought she could hear something, we pulled the bins apart and found Michael sitting there. He was wedged between two bins and he was on fire,” said Mr Dexter..

“I took of my coat and we put the flames out.

“I ran back to the chip shop to get police and an ambulance, my wife was frantically knocking on doors and manged to get wet towels to cover him. She was sat next to him, talking to him.”

Firecrews from Ilkley and Otley who were first on the scene gave him first aid until an ambulance took him to Airedale Hospital where he died from 80 per cent deep burns 12 hours later on March 5.

Fire investigator Jonathan Needham said he believed the fire had been a deliberate act and a full police investigation later confirmed there had been no suspicious circumstances.

Recording a verdict of suicide, Assistant Deputy Bradford Coroner Dr Dominic Bell said Mr Partridge had deliberately chosen a secluded spot where he was unlikely to be seen before he set himself on fire.