A supermarket manager committed suicide after the two families he had been hiding just ten miles apart for more than two decades discovered his secret double life.

Andrew Ingham, 50, divided his time between 12 children by two "wives" who lived within a 20-minutes drive of each other in Hertfordshire.

But he committed suicide when Jacqueline, his legal spouse of 30 years, and his mistress Anita Barrett found out about each other, an inquest heard.

He sank into depression when they both left him in December last year and he was found dead in a tiny flat after being forced to move there.

His older children discovered his double life by piecing together clues they found on Facebook, and both women met in December.

Remarkably, he fathered four children with his mistress and eight children with his wife. Mr Ingham's oldest child with his wife is 27, while his youngest child is eight.

During the hearing into his death at Chelmsford Coroner's Court, Mrs Ingham, 48, and Miss Barrett, 42, sat at opposite ends of the courtroom.

Mr Ingham married Jacqui, 48, in 1983. Together they bought a house in Welwyn Garden City, Herts, where she still lives. Eight years into his marriage he started a relationship with Ms Barrett in Hoddesdon, 10 miles, or 20 minutes' drive, away.

The inquest heard that Mr Ingham committed suicide after feeling depressed about "events which had been going on in his personal life". Before killing himself he left a number of suicide notes addressed "to whom it may concern".

After the inquest Ms Barrett said: "He spent half and half of his time between us. He was just a very good liar."

She told The Sun: "Both families know each other now. We all found out at the same time - the eldest kids used Facebook to put it all together."