A POPULAR Lake District man drowned after he fell into a river while walking home from the pub, an inquest heard.

The body of Stephen Knight, 56, of Ghyll House, Grasmere, was found by police in the River Rothay which flows through the village.

The hearing at Kendal was was told that he had been drinking at the 1769 bar in the village on the evening of December 15 last year, before he set off home to meet his wife Sarah Jane.

It is believed that Mr Knight, who worked at the Co-op in Grasmere, slipped and fell into the water while walking on the unlit path that runs besides the river.

A post-mortem examination found that he most likely suffered a cardiac arrest due to the freezing temperature of the water.

That, coupled with consuming a large quantity of alcohol, would have caused Mr Knight difficulty in getting out.

The inquest was told that Mr Knight had left the pub at around 6pm after a number of drinks and went to the Co-op to pick up some shopping for his wife.

Victoria Hull, who works at the Co-op and served Mr Knight, said in a statement: "He seemed like his normal self. He had obviously had a few drinks. He liked a drink and to pick up a treat for his wife on the way home."

Speaking at the inquest, Mrs Knight said that her husband had phoned to say he would be late home for tea as he was meeting a friend for a drink.

She said that she was not worried when he did not return home by 9pm, as she assumed he had gone on to the snooker club, where he was a member and would regularly attend on Thursday nights.

Mrs Knight only started to worry when it got to about 11.30pm, and she set out with her father to search for him.

Concerned that he might have had an accident, they contacted the police after two hours of searching.

Police found Mr Knight's body under a bridge by a row of cottages. His shopping was found a short distance upstream. Mr Knight was declared dead at the scene.

A toxicologist found that Mr Knight, who had historically struggled with alcohol dependency after serving in the army, had a blood alcohol reading of 276 milligrams per decilitre - the legal driving limit is 80mg.

Mrs Crombleholme, Mrs Knight's mother, said at the inquest: "He was always so caring. He liked a laugh and to have a drink. He didn't have to know you or even like you, he was always so kind."

Assistant district coroner Robert Chapman concluded that Mr Knight's death was accidental, and was caused by drowning.

Mr Knight is survived by his wife, his parents in law and a daughter from a previous relationship, with whom he had no contact.