An immensely popular 27-year-old man died of carbon monoxide poisoning after falling asleep by the fireplace at his mum's house.

Elliot Bourne, a computer-aided designer from Sidcup, tragically lost his life in Hythe when he settled down and rested on the sofa.

Suffering with a cold, he arrived at his mum's home in Highridge at about 11am on Saturday, May 8.

Elliot went to sleep on a sofa with the fire lit nearby - but was sadly found unresponsive on the furniture the following day.

Paramedics rushed to the house yet Elliot was pronounced dead at the scene.

An inquest to establish the circumstances of the tragedy was opened at Maidstone's County Hall on Friday, where the cause of death was given as carbon monoxide poisoning.

Coroner Katrina Hepburn opened the inquest before immediately adjourning the hearing until September.

Sport-loving Elliot, who lived in Sidcup all of his life, had a very close relationship with his sister Jen and adored his two-year-old niece, Amelia, with whom he was "totally besotted with".

He would make Origami roses for the pair and regularly play ball games with Amelia.

The former Hurstmere School pupil went on to take an apprenticeship with Parsons Brinkerhoff, before moving to a Bexley-based design firm where he became a CAD technician.

Elliot's family remember him as an "exceptionally unique and special gentleman who possessed fine qualities and talents beyond measure".

Tributes were paid to the much-loved young man - who was born in Greenwich to parents Steve and Jay - in a eulogy read out at his funeral.

"He was generous to a fault and would happily give you anything," it stated.

"He was caring, thoughtful and affectionate – he would hug everyone. El was also incredibly kind and he had a good sense of humour and a real zest for life.

"El was extremely popular and had loads of friends.

"He loved weekends and enjoyed going out to the pub to socialise with his friends. He always wanted to ensure that everyone was having a good time, so invariably he was skint because he would buy beer for those he was with.

"He was a pub man, and he loved going to all the local pubs, especially those that served cheap beer!

'He was caring, thoughtful and affectionate – he would hug everyone...'

"El loved his car and it was always immaculate inside and out as if it had been newly valeted.

"But then he always looked immaculate too, especially when he was going out. El was a sharp dresser and had an impressive collection of trainers and had an extensive selection of jumpers."

Following Elliot's unexpected death, an online fundraiser was launched to help pay for funeral costs.

It performed incredibly well, with 434 donators raising more than £24,000 for his heartbroken family.

Floods of tributes from family and friends were left on the JustGiving page, with one donator saying they will remember Elliot as "one of the most genuine and kind-hearted guys", while another stated how he was the "most amazing human to roam the earth".

Elliot's workplace, FHP Engineering Services Solutions and CJ Design Partnership, posted a tribute on its website remembering the 27-year-old.

"Elliot worked within our Bexley team as MEP CAD technician for seven years and had progressed within the company to become a very competent young professional.

"He would go above and beyond every single day to help out his colleagues, while ensuring that he undertook his own roles and responsibilities to the highest of standards.

"Elliot was always happy and smiling and brought such a positive vibe to the office and our working lives. He will be dreadfully missed by all."

Eddie Howes, from the company, said: "It was a joy to work in the presence of Elliot. I will never forget the warmth his smile brought to the office each and every day."

Other memories read out in the eulogy convey how popular Elliot was.

"El made such a positive impact on everyone he met. He was able to have fun and joke and always remain respectful.

"El’s family received so many letters from people he had contact with - most notably letters were sent from teachers (even though he had left school nine years ago), many old work friends he met through various projects and people he only met for a short time but seemed to make a big impact on."

The inquest has been adjourned until September, where further details as to how the tragedy unfolded will be analysed.

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