MYSTERY surrounds the death of a national bodybuilding champion crushed in a machine at a car parts factory.

Anthony Smith, 54, died after being caught in a machine at the Trelleborg Automotive factory on the White Horse Business Park, in Trowbridge, on July 22.

An inquest held in Trowbridge Town Hall this week concluded it will never be known why Mr Smith, of Ramsbury Walk, should have gone into the dangerous 'dip and spin' machine area without first turning it off.

A jury of four men and four women heard no-one witnessed the accident and colleagues were at a loss to explain why Mr Smith should have been in the position in which he was found.

Stanley James, Trelleborg's European operations director, said: "I have no idea how he got there. He was an intelligent man and I don't know why he would have gone into that area, because he knew it was an automated machine and he knew it was dangerous."

The inquest heard on the day of the accident Mr Smith had been operating the machine, which coats metal car parts in a bonding agent.

He had climbed over a 4ft barrier to get in before being crushed between two of the giant machine's heavy moving parts.

The jury heard he died instantly from extensive crush injuries to his chest.

The inquest was told although staff would enter the danger area of the machine for maintenance reasons, this was never done without the machine being switched off first.

Day maintenance engineer Matthew Sturrock, who discovered the body, said: "I had always found Tony to be very safety conscious. He was the most safety conscious person working in that area."

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive were called to the factory and, although a fault was

found in a part of the machine, inspector Ian Whittles said it did not affect the running of the machine and did not cause a danger to health and safety.

The company was served with an improvement notice to add further barriers to prevent people getting into the machine in the future.

A spokesman for Trelleborg said: "The company has complied at all times with the HSE and is satisfied the outcome today is based on a detailed, factual and thorough investigation.

"Our deepest sympathy will always remain with the family of Anthony Smith."

Mr Smith had a wife, Joanne, and four children and was a keen bodybuilder who, in 1985, was crowned Mr England.

The jury returned a verdict of misadventure.