A crane operator found Nicholas Milburn’s body in waste at Haverton Hill recycling centre in Billingham with an inquest hearing revealing his the cause of death was chest injuries
A crane operator at a recycling plant made the grim discovery of a man’s body among a pile of refuse material, an inquest heard.
Nicholas Milburn died at the Haverton Hill recycling centre in Billingham on September 24, 2025.
Cleveland Police were called to the SUEZ waste processing facility on Haverton Hill Road at around 1:45pm.
All activity at the site was halted after the horrifying discovery by staff while officers carried out their investigation.
The inquest into Mr Milburn’s death, which began on Tuesday (January 13), heard that the deceased was identified through fingerprint examination at the University Hospital of North Tees.
The results produced a positive identification for Mr Milburn, according to police records.
Paul Appleton, area coroner for Teesside and Hartlepool, said: “A crane operator had been working within line three… at the Haverton Hill recycling plant.
“They were using a remote operated claw. They picked up a quantity of waste from line three and noticed the body of a deceased male.”
The court was told that the crane was then brought down to ground level and steps were taken to shut down all operations across the site, reports Chronicle Live.
A post-mortem examination established the preliminary medical cause of death as “chest injuries”.
Cleveland Police had previously confirmed that the death of the 45-year-old was not being treated as suspicious, following a Home Office Post Mortem examination.
The inquest has been postponed and a date for the next hearing is yet to be set.
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