A family said after an inquest that they will never know how a 79-year-old man ended up in a river where he drowned.

Terence Brazier's body was found in the relief channel of the River Great Ouse near to the Heygates roundabout in Downham Market on August 31.

Mr Brazier, who lived in Wade Wright Court, a sheltered housing complex in the town, had heart and prostate problems, an inquest in King's Lynn heard yesterday.

A former regular at the Cock pub in the town his health had deteriorated, but he still enjoyed walking and sitting on a bench near the relief channel, talking to passers-by.

The inquest heard that Mr Brazier, who was a former insurance broker in the City of London, suffered from tinnitus which affected his balance, and suffered dizzy spells. The court heard he might have suffered a spell and fallen into the river, although there was no evidence that he had.

His family later found a note in his flat which seemed to suggest that he intended to take his own life.

But the inquest was told there was no date on the note and no indication of the context in which it was written.

The cause of death was given as drowning and assistant Norfolk coroner Johanna Thompson's conclusion was an open one.

Mr Brazier had three children and five grandchildren and the family said afterwards: 'We are desolate he came to be in the river and after this inquest, have to accept we will never really know what happened. He was a well-loved man who lived his life to the full.'