A "TERRIFIC bang" led to a grim discovery when a pensioner - who hit the headlines when he kept police at bay during a siege at his home - was crushed by a massive tank.

George Andrews was discovered by his wife, Barbara, with "just his head showing" from under the 6ft 4ins central heating tank, which toppled over when the 76-year-old attempted to move it using a car jack.

Speaking at an inquest into his death, Worcestershire coroner Victor Round said Mrs Andrews ran to the aid of her husband at the front of the house at Pound Green, near Bewdley, and he gasped "get help".

She raised the alarm but it was too late.

Mr Round said: "The fire brigade used lifting gear to get the tank off him and the paramedics tried resuscitation but confirmed him dead at the scene."

The self-employed mechanic had attempted to move the tank - used to store central heating oil - with scissor-style car jacks when tragedy struck at about 10.50am on June 3, said Mr Round.

He was probably moving it to create space for a wall and although he could not point to the exact reason why the tank fell, Mr Round warned about the dangers of moving weighty objects alone.

Mr Round said: "It is obviously dangerous to do heavy work of any kind on your own.

"Moving oil tanks at all is supposed to be professional job. It seems a big job for one man to tackle on his own."

Mr Andrews hit headlines in August 1998 when his home was surrounded by police after reports he had threatened to burn down his house rather than pay £1,000 over a disputed Council Tax bill.

Police believed a stash of weapons including shotguns and sporting rifles were inside the house, prompting a massive swoop which saw the village sealed off and armed officers stage a round-the-clock stake-out.

The siege ended peacefully and Mr Andrews walked free from court two months later.

He denied ever handling a gun during the drama and called the subsequent police response a "massive over-reaction".

However, Supt Howard Topping, of Kidderminster Police, said at the time the pensioner was a skilled marksman who owned 27 shotguns and the police reaction was "entirely appropriate".

Closing Tuesday's inquest, Mr Round said Mr Andrews died of mechanical asphyxia.

He recorded a verdict of accidental death.