A skydiving instructor died after he risked his own life to save a student whose parachute failed during a jump. Carl Marsh, 46, fell 1,600 feet after he went to rescue student Dominic Leeds when a piece of his equipment snapped.

When Mr Marsh, a father of one, went to help Mr Leeds release a second reserve parachute, he became entangled in the student’s principal chute as it was jettisoned away.

An inquest heard the tragedy occurred on April 29 last year at the Black Knights Parachute Centre in Cockerham, near Lancaster, which was holding a training day for tandem skydiving.

Mr Marsh, from Knutsford, Cheshire was an expert instructor who had performed 1,150 jumps all over the world.

The pair jumped out at 8,000 feet but as Mr Leeds attempted to release his parachute, a toggle broke and Mr Marsh went to help him.

Mr Leeds - who himself had previously carried out 400 jumps - told the Preston hearing: "I reached up deploy the left hand steering toggle but as I pulled the toggle down the left toggle came off.”