A town is mourning the death of a senior clergymen.

The Rev Anthony Gardiner, the minister of Otley’s Bridge Church, died suddenly last Wednesday, aged 64.

An inquest, opened this week at Leeds Coroner’s Court, heard a post mortem showed hanging was the cause of death.

The court also heard the Rev Gardiner, who suffered from anxiety, had collapsed in church on the day of his death and been taken to Harrogate District Hospital, from where he was later discharged.

Moderator of the Yorkshire Synod of the United Reformed Church, the Rev Kevin Watson, said his death had come as a huge shock.

He said: “Rev Tony Gardiner has been a well-known, well-respected and loved minister in Otley since 1999. Many in the town will remember his generous and caring nature and wise counsel.”