A Shropshire builder is likely to have died instantly when the roof of a classroom at a county school collapsed on top of him, an inquest has heard.

Twenty tonnes of rubble fell on top of Mark Evans when the roof caved in at Moor Park School in Richards Castle, near Ludlow, on August 14, 2007.

Mr Evans was one of five men working on demolishing the single storey classroom when the incident happened.

An inquest on Mr Evans was reopened at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court today after being adjourned pending an investigation. A jury of 10 people was sworn in.

John Ellery, coroner for Mid and North West Shropshire, said: “Death is likely to have been instant or Mr Evans would have lost consciousness in less than a minute. He would not have suffered in any way.”

He added that other buildings had been demolished at the site prior to Mr Evans’s death.

He said that the inquest was likely to last two days and that evidence would be heard from 19 witnesses ,including the people who were working with Mr Evans when he died, police officers, health and safety executive investigators and representatives from the school.

A statement by Mr Evans’s wife Teresa, which was read out on her behalf, said: “Mark was very hard working and happy go lucky with a good sense of humour. Everybody loved him.”

The inquest heard Mrs Evans met her husband when they were both aged 16 at Ludlow High School.

Mr Evans, 40, of Normandie Close, Ludlow, was also survived by his daughter Chloe who was 14 at the time of the incident.

He had played football for Ludlow until 11 years ago and had family members in the Ludlow areas.

On the day he died fire crews had to use air bags and hydraulic equipment to lift the weight of the rubble off Mr Evans.

However, despite the rescue efforts he was pronounced dead at the scene.

His death sparked a Government health and safety investigation into construction deaths across the country.

The inquest continues.

By Emma Kasprzak