MYSTERY surrounds the identity of a man who died alone in hospital after collapsing while out running on Helsby Hill.

Police have released an efit of the man who died on Monday having suffered a suspected heart attack five days earlier as they urgently try to trace relatives.

He collapsed at about 8.15am on Wednesday, November 2 and was carrying no identification or any car keys.

The man was thought to be about 40 years-old, 6ft tall and 12-13 stone in weight with brown hair which was receding at the temples.

He was dressed in a black Liverpool FC Adidas hooded jacket with white stripes and a Carlsberg logo on the back, dark blue tracksuit bottoms with three white stripes, and Adidas white trainers with three blue stripes.

There is a tattoo of a bulldog wearing a red hat on his upper right arm along with a chain design tattoo in the same area.

Helsby parish councillor George Randles, 65, who walks along the route every morning, gave the man mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after another walker had found him face down on the ground.

Cllr Randles told the Chronicle: I walked passed the spot where hed fell four or five minutes before.

I was heading up towards Alvanley Road to meet up with a friend when this chap came along and asked if we had a phone.

We went back and I rang for an ambulance. I was instructed by them to carry out CPR. I took turns with another male and was then told to give mouth-to-mouth.

We did it for about 20 minutes before the paramedics arrived. There was a gargling sound but we didnt know if that was air going into the lungs or not.

Cllr Randles says paramedics injected the man with adrenalin and placed an oxygen tube down his throat before taking him away on a stretcher at about 9am.

We thought we had done a good job in saving his life but sadly he was too poorly. Its a terrible shame, he added.

Ive never seen him on the hill before and I walk the dogs every morning at about that time.

A Cheshire Police spokeswoman said: We are keen to trace the mans family members as a matter of urgency.

If you recognise the mans description call police on 0845 458 0000, quoting incident 170 of November 2.

ASSISTANCE:Helsby parish councillor George Randles had given the man mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. IC230409council-002