An elderly man from Chadderton who went missing on his daily walk before his body was found almost a week later is suspected to have fallen down a "steep bank".

Michael Holland, 79, went missing on Saturday, March 26 after leaving his home on Long Lane, Chadderton for a walk.

He was missing for nearly a week before his body was found in Middleton on Friday, April 1.

At Rochdale Coroners Office on April 14, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) coroners officer Tracy Bunn said Mr Holland's body was spotted by a dog walker in a wooded area near Greengate, Middleton.

PCO Bunn said: "He may have fallen down the steep bank."

At the opening of the inquest into Mr Holland's death, it was said that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his passing and that he had a history of falling.

Assistant Coroner Julie Robertson, who formally opened the inquest, set a date of August 10, 2022 for a full inquest into Mr Holland's death.

The grandfather had been described as a "fairly quiet man" by his son, Paul, who said he loved his children, grandchildren and animals.

At the time of Mr Holland's disappearance, there was an outpouring of support from the community on social media, with the appeal from Paul, 51, shared thousands of times online.

Paul and his family said Michael could "get confused" at times, which he said could have been linked to possible early stages of dementia.

He said how his father often liked to walk along the canals.

READ MORE: Son tells of family's worry over missing Chadderton man, 79

Despite sometimes struggling to process things, Paul, who lives in Saddleworth, said his father was mentally sound most of the time.

He explained how his father's walks would usually last an hour, however, the family grew concerned when he did not return after several hours.

Speaking shortly before his father's body was found, Paul said: "My mum phoned me at 5pm, after he had been out for four hours.

"We started to get really worried when it was getting dark."

Police called off the search for Michael shortly after it was announced a body had been found on April 1.