AN elderly Lymington man was found dead on the floor of his bathroom by his daughter.

Geoffrey Hutchins died as a result of breathing in his own stomach acid on the evening of November 17 at his home in Hordle.

He was found found slumped over his bath by his daughter Lisa the following morning after concerns were raised about his welfare.

The 79 year-old had suffered from a hernia, which his family said had made it hard for him to eat at times.

His wife Barbra had gone to Durham for the weekend with a friend.

After attempting to call her husband twice with no response she sent her daughter to check on him.

Arriving at Lavender Road at around 8.30am, after several unsuccessful attempts to call her father, Lisa and her husband Chris found that the curtains of the bungalow were still closed and the lights were on. "This was not like him" she said.

On entering the property she found that his bed had not been made and there were puddles of vomit in the lounge and hallway. she then found her father's body in the bathroom.

She called an ambulance which soon arrived and paramedics pronounced the retired builder dead at the scene.

Pathologist Eleanor Jaynes said she had found stomach acid in Mr Hutchins lungs and that his oesophagus was red.

Senior coroner Grahame Short said: "His actions were unwitnessed but the fact he had vomited in the lounge and ran into the bathroom suggests that he had difficulty eating his meal.

"His death was due to an accident in so far as he had not eaten his food in such a way that he could not digest it and brought it back up again which led to his death."

Mr Short concluded a verdict of accidental death.