By Lisa CleverdonPUB regulars are in mourning today after a popular bar manager was found dead.Assistant manager Stephen Salmon is believed to have been found hanged at the Black Boy Hotel in Sudbury on Friday.

By Lisa Cleverdon

PUB regulars are in mourning today after a popular bar manager was found dead.

Assistant manager Stephen Salmon is believed to have been found hanged at the Black Boy Hotel in Sudbury on Friday.

The 43-year-old was in charge of the Greene King pub while regular landlord Neil Hammans was on holiday with his family in America.

Last night Mr Hammans spoke of his shock after learning of Mr Salmon's death upon his return from holiday on Sunday.

“Stephen had only been working with me for a couple of months, but he was more then capable of doing the job, so we decided to leave him to run the pub while we went away,” he said.

Mr Salmon, who is not believed to be from the area, had been living at the Black Boy Hotel on Market Hill with his partner, who has now left the pub to be comforted by family.

He was found just before noon on Friday and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Hammans said: “It was a great shock for everyone and the staff have been deeply upset by what has happened, more so than me because I was not actually in the country at the time.

“The customers are also very shaken, but they have been very sympathetic and a bunch of flowers arrived at the door on the same day it happened.”

An inquest into Mr Salmon's death was opened in Bury St Edmunds yesterday .

A Suffolk police spokeswoman said: “All sudden deaths such as this one are investigated by the police on behalf of the coroner's office and a full report will be presented to the coroner in due course.”

lisa.cleverdon@eadt.co.uk