A NORTH Yorkshire farmer died from tetanus after accidentally spiking his ankle, an inquest heard.

Alan Woodall, 49, died in hospital after his condition deteriorated during more than two weeks of treatment, including three operations.

His wife Gillian told the inquest her husband had been working in a pig-shed at Garth Farm, Cliffe, near Selby, last December, when he hit his ankle on an unknown object, which left a small hole.

She dressed the wound, but when his ankle became increasingly swollen and the wound looked worse, she took him to their GP at the minor injuries unit at Selby War Memorial Hospital. He dressed the wound and gave Mr Woodall a tetanus jab and antibiotics.

But his condition did not improve, said Mrs Wilby, his wound continued to look worse and her husband complained of back and shoulder pain.

She said that at breakfast he told her, "I can't open my mouth. I have got tetanus."

Mrs Wilby said she had previously seen tetanus - often known as lockjaw - in animals. "I knew straight away he was right," she added.

She called their GP and said her husband had tetanus. He was referred to York District Hospital.

Despite treatment in the hospital's intensive care unit and the operations, Mr Woodall continued to deteriorate and died on December 30.

A post-mortem examination revealed he died from multiple organ failure caused by his bowel being blocked and perforated due to tetanus.

A heart disease was also pinpointed as a factor. Mr Woodall had had a tetanus jab nine years before the incident.

York Coroner Donald Coverdale, who recorded a verdict of accidental death, said: "What has happened here is an accident on the farm causing an injury leading to death after an unhappy progress of the illness."

Updated: 08:17 Wednesday, August 22, 2001