A pensioner died from multiple organ failure after undergoing surgery while on holiday in Greece, an inquest heard.

John Parkin had a heart attack while abroad with his wife and then developed a pressure ulcer while recovering in hospital for more than seven weeks.

The sore on his lower back became infected and the retired British Gas scientific officer was on life support when flown back to the UK.

An inquest at Gravesend's Old Town Hall heard Mr Parkin died 11 days later in August last year at Darent Valley Hospital.

Cause of death was given as multiple organ failure and pneumonia as a result of an infected pressure sore.

Mr Parkin's widow, Diane, told the inquest visiting times in Greece were restricted and she was not always aware of how the 70-year-old was being treated.

She said: "I wasn't aware how bad the pressure sore was until the nurses rolled him over the third time he went into the intensive care unit. It was so horrible I couldn't even look at it."

Mr Parkin, who lived in Waterton Avenue, Gravesend, also suffered from arthritis and diabetes, a condition known to make people more vulnerable to pressure ulcers.

"Nine times out of 10 he was lying on his back and I had to ask if they could give me a hand or if they could move him," added Mrs Parkin.

However, she said she could not fault the "absolutely amazing" treatment he received at Darent Valley Hospital.

North Kent coroner Roger Hatch spoke of his limited powers in obtaining information from foreign countries or forcing witnesses to give evidence.

But recording an open verdict he added that pressure sores were a major problem for diabetics kept in similar positions for long periods.