A man drowned after tragically falling into a river after a night out, an inquest heard.

Paul Goodwin died after entering the River Stour near Sandwich.

The body of the 61-year-old was found ten days after he was last seen on Friday, March 18.

An inquest into his death heard that the night he went missing he had spent the evening at Quex Farm shop and restaurant in Birchington, near Margate.

Mr Goodwin was a regular patron of the bar, and often took a taxi back to his house boat in Sandwich Marina.

He would then arrange for a second taxi back to the bar the following morning to pick up his motorbike, to avoid drink driving.

Workers at the bar described him as in "good spirits", socialising with patrons and staff alike.

In a statement, the taxi driver who took him that evening said that he had appeared intoxicated and had been falling asleep in the back of the car.

When they arrived at the marina, the taxi driver asked if he was okay, to which Mr Goodwin reassured him that he was, before walking away "unsteadily".

The coroner's court at Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone heard that this was the last time the handyman was seen alive.

After he was reported missing, a large police search was launched to try and locate him.

Tragically, he was not found until April 3, when a passer by spotted his body floating in the river.

The court heard that Mr Goodwin was not a strong swimmer, and had fallen into the marina on previous occasions.

It also heard that he had been suffering from chest pains, but had not yet gone to a doctor to discuss them.

His cause of death was listed as immersion in water, with intoxication and coronary artery disease as contributing factors.

Assistant coroner Katherine Wood ruled the death an accident, saying there was "no evidence of a deliberate act" or suspicious circumstances.

"Clearly he had been out after work and got a taxi home after having a couple of drinks.

"He has then been unsteady on his feet and fallen in and then, tragically, drowned. This was clearly a tragic accident.

"My deepest condolences to Mr Goodwin's family for their loss, I can imagine this came as a dreadful shock."