A Polish farm worker whose body was found next to a railway track may have been rushing to the aid of a pregnant cow when he tripped and fell on the live rail.

Andrzej Tomasz Burski , 33, is believed to have been taking a shortcut across the line at Great Chart the morning after a night of heavy drinking when he heard the animal in the throes of labour and went to make sure it was ok, an inquest in Folkestone heard.

Mr Burski was spotted by the driver of the 8.02am Ashford International to Charing Cross train on Sunday, June 8 lying by the side of the track.

He had burns all over his body caused by the electric current but he had not been hit by a train.

Jane Goddard, who owns Court Lodge Farm in Great Chart where Mr Burski was working at the time of his death, suggested the husband and father could have changed his route to check on the cow but she could not explain where he was going so early in the morning.

She said: “The spot where he had fallen was exactly opposite a field with cows in and one of them was giving birth.

"It is possible he was going to help the cow. He was like that, he would have gone to help on his day off.

"But he wouldn’t have known the cow was giving birth unless he was out there already.

“It was a route the Polish workers took quite a lot as a shortcut rather than walking to the bridge to cross the railway.

"I’ve got a feeling they used it to get to the Godinton Park estate but I don’t know what reason they had for going there. I really don’t know what he was doing there that day.

“I’d known Andrzej about a year. He was probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. He was considerate, helpful and reliable at his job. He was liked by everybody; no one had a bad word to say about him.”

Miss Goddard saw Mr Burski walking down her driveway at about 6am as she milked her cows.

She may have been the last person to see him alive as the British Transport Police (BTP) believe be died between 7.30am and 8am.

PC Jack Tomlin from the BTP said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Mr Burski’s death and no indication he had committed suicide.

He concluded the farm worker had tripped and fallen while taking a shortcut across the railway.

Pathologist Dr Salim Anjarwalla told the inquest Mr Burski died from electrocution and said there were so many “deep burns” on the front and back of his body it was impossible to tell which part of him touched the live rail first.

The amount of alcohol in his blood was equivalent to two-and-a-half times the legal limit for driving indicating Mr Burski either drank a large amount the previous night or was still drinking the morning he died, Dr Anjarwalla added.

Coroner Rachel Redman recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

Mr Burski leaves a wife and child in Poland.