A crane operator at a recycling facility in Billingham discovered a man's body among waste material, an inquest has heard. Nicholas Milburn, 45, was found at the SUEZ waste processing site on Haverton Hill Road on 24 September 2025.
Cleveland Police were called to the scene at approximately 1.45pm, and operations at the facility were suspended while an investigation was carried out. The inquest, which began on 13 January 2026, heard that identification was confirmed through fingerprint analysis at the University Hospital of North Tees.
Area coroner Paul Appleton stated: '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 crane was lowered to ground level and site operations were halted. A post-mortem examination gave the provisional cause of death as 'chest injuries'. Cleveland Police previously said the death was not being treated as suspicious. The inquest has been adjourned, with no date set for the next hearing.
