A 34-YEAR-old man fell down some stone steps and drowned in a puddle after a night of heavy drinking, an inquest heard. Andrew Said, of Coleman Road, Dagenham, was found at the bottom of a stairwell in St Leonard s Road, Poplar, lying face down in around

A 34-YEAR-old man fell down some stone steps and drowned in a puddle after a night of heavy drinking, an inquest heard.

Andrew Said, of Coleman Road, Dagenham, was found at the bottom of a stairwell in St Leonard's Road, Poplar, lying face down in around six inches of rainwater.

Paramedics were called on the morning of November 13 last year, but nothing could be done to revive him.

On Monday, Poplar Coroner's Court was told Mr Said had been drinking at the George IV Regency Hotel in Ida Street the night before and was seen leaving alone at around 11.20pm, heading in the direction of his mother's house, a short walk away in Abbot Road.

The scaffolder was reportedly drunk and it is thought he tripped on the stairwell, knocked himself unconscious, and drowned in the water.

A shopkeeper found his body at 8.30am as he was opening up his store.

Speaking at the court, DS Andrew Gattase, of Tower Hamlets Police, said: "Mr Said arrived at the pub at 7.20pm and spent the next four hours drinking and socialising.

"When he left he was very drunk and struggling to walk, so someone helped him out of the door. CCTV footage then shows him walking towards his mother's house.

"We have no CCTV footage of the spot where he died, but we believe he accidently fell down the stairwell. There is no evidence to suggest anybody else was involved in his death."

The pathologist who carried out the post-mortem said Mr Said drowned.

He said he had sustained a head injury in the fall, but the injury was not serious enough to have killed him. It may, however, have knocked him unconscious, which in turn could have led to him drowning.

Coronor Gail Elliman recorded a verdict of accidental death.

She told his family and friends: "I'm very sorry for your loss. This is a very sad case indeed."

Paying tribute after the inquest, Mr Said's sister Sarah Homewood said: "He was the best brother you could have wished for. If he had his last pound in his pocket and you needed it, he'd give it to you, no questions asked.