The secret which drove one of Britain's most senior policeman to a solitary death in Snowdonia lay in his tangled private life, unnamed sources allege.

The body of Michael Todd, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, was found yesterday near Bwlych Glas, an exposed mountain pass below the ridge that leads to the top of Mount Snowdon in North Wales. Notes to his family were later found close to where his body was discovered.

It is understood that he had confided in fellow senior officers about personal problems in the days leading up to the death.

"He had spoken to a number of people in the 24 hours before his death about his state of mind. We knew this was on his mind, but no-one believed this could have happened," one officer told The Times. "It has come as a total shock to us all."

Another source described Mr Todd, a rising star in national policing, as a handsome and charismatic man who was always popular with women. It was an “open secret” that he had enjoyed at least one extra-marital relationship with a female police officer, the source claimed.

Mr Todd’s apparent decision to end his life was because he had had “affairs”, the source said, but would not be drawn on what pushed him to end his life now.

For the past ten years Mr Todd, 50, had been living in a flat in Manchester while his wife Caroline lived at the family home near Newark, Nottinghamshire, with their twin 14-year-old boys and 17-year-old daughter. There had been speculation about his private life.

Sources in Whitehall and the police said that the tragedy had nothing to do with his work but was related to his personal life.

A police source told The Times: “Whatever the reason, it was not financial as his bank accounts are open to scrutiny. We suspect some personal difficulties in his life.”

Friends agreed, and were quick to dismiss any suggestion of financial or professional irregularities by Mr Todd, who had been touted as the next commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Colleagues became concerned about his welfare in the early hours of yesterday after a series of telephone calls on Monday afternoon, according to reports. At first there were fears he might have been kidnapped, but the hunt soon turned into a missing person inquiry.

Officers scrambled helicopters to try to track him down, focusing on an area where his mobile phone had last registered with a relay station.

After lunch his body was spotted by walkers nine miles away, below Bwlch Glas. Last night, after a trek lasting several hours, his body was carried down the mountain in appalling conditions. A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out this morning.

He would have been walking during heavy rains and chilly temperatures in winds that were gusting at up to 30mph (48km/h), but the area escaped the worst of the violent storms that battered South Wales. Mr Todd had been due to attend a meeting at Scotland Yard with police chiefs today.

Dave Whatton, Deputy Chief Constable for Greater Manchester, said in a statement: “As you can imagine, all of his friends and colleagues are extremely upset. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family, and I would ask that they be left in peace to come to terms with this tragic shock.”

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, said she was saddened to hear the news. “Chief Constable Todd has had a long and distinguished career in various forces and has contributed greatly to the fight against crime and terrorism. My thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues,” she said.

Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said that Mr Todd had made a “significant contribution to policing”.

Mr Todd joined Essex Police in 1976 and served as both a uniformed officer and a detective. He became Assistant Chief Constable for Nottinghamshire in 1995 and in 1998 was appointed as a Deputy Assistant Commissioner with the Metropolitan Police responsible for northwest London.

He was promoted to Assistant Commissioner and led many high-profile operations, including the policing of May Day demonstrations, the Met’s street crime initiative, the Notting Hill Carnival and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002. He took up the post of Chief Constable of Greater Manchester later that year.

He had a hands-on style of leadership, going out on foot patrol with his officers and in 2005 he volunteered to be shot with a 50,000-volt Taser gun to convince the public that they were safe.

In 2006 Mr Todd, who had a first-class honours degree and a master of philosophy in politics, was elected as Vice-President of the Association of Chief Police Officers.

He believed that the relationship between the media and the police service was important and was known as “media friendly”.

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