An Aylesford pensioner became confused while looking for a shortcut through some woodland before slipping and drowning in a stream, a court was told.

Frank Gore, 86, of Lunsford Lane, was last seen alive by a neighbour on September 15 when he spotted him walking on the A228 Castle Way towards his local bus stop.

However, concern was raised when Mr Gore failed to answer a regular phone call by a friend the following day.

After an extensive police search, including helicopter assistance, his body was eventually found in woodland near Leybourne Lakes on September 21.

An inquest at The Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone was told how Mr Gore, a retired machine fitter who was “unsteady on his feet”, had “a complex medical history”, suffering dizzy spells before being diagnosed with dementia last year.

Giving live evidence, investigating officer Ashley Bowles identified a gap in a nearby fence as a potential route Mr Gore took to reach the woodland area.

Officers on the scene found Mr Gore’s shoes two feet away from his body, with his walking stick resting on the bank of the stream.

"Frank was a very nice man, very quiet and kept himself to himself." - John Pierce

Coroner Kate Thomas ruled out third party involvement, citing a clump of grass in his hand as a key piece of evidence, suggesting he had tried to grip onto vegetation to stay upright.

She said: “He went across a green grass area of rough land, through some foliage and down what is a short but steep bank into a stream where he clearly fell.

“I can’t speculate as to what happened. Some questions cannot be answered. I conclude that Frank died as a result of a tragic accident.”

In a tribute shortly after his death, the pensioner was described by neighbour John Pierce as “a very nice man, very quiet and kept himself to himself”.

Mr Gore first moved on to the Aylesford estate in the 1950s with his wife Elizabeth, who died several years ago, and leaves behind two sons, Alec and Bernard.

Friends said he was passionate about gardening and cars, and regularly attended nearby Holy Trinity Church.