An inquest into the death of an 88-year-old man, thought to have died of Legionnaires' disease in the UK's biggest outbreak for more than a decade, opened on Tuesday.

Richard Macaulay, known locally as Gerry, of Smeaton Street in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, died in hospital on Friday, just days after being admitted.

Furness deputy coroner Alan Sharpe, sitting at Barrow Town Hall - yards away from the suspected source of the outbreak - opened and adjourned an inquest into his death.

A post-mortem has been carried out into Mr Macaulay's death, but it remains to be confirmed that his death is connected to the outbreak.

Mr Macaulay may have died from the disease

Mr Macaulay's grandson Andrew, of Letchworth, Hertfordshire, attended the hearing but refused to comment afterwards.

Opposite the town hall, the police cordon had been removed from the council-run arts centre thought to be at the centre of the outbreak.

Mr Macaulay lived in a nursing home and had not been near the centre recently.