A MAN who died in a canal boat fire has been named.

An inquest has opened into the death of Peter Richard Dolan.

Mr Dolan, of St Luke’s Crescent in Widnes, passed away age 63 following a fire on the canal near Whitbarrow Road in Lymm.

Emergency services were called to Bridgewater Canal at around 3.30am on March 8.

Police arrived to find a barge “well alight”, with Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service firefighters extinguishing the flames.

During a search of the boat officers discovered the body of a man, named as Mr Dolan at the inquest opening on Wednesday (April 17).

During the opening, it was said that Mr Dolan’s body had been “badly burnt”.

As such, he had to be formally identified by a forensic scientist via a DNA test.

Meanwhile, police have since confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances.

A case review will take place on June 16 ahead of the full inquest on September 18.