A coroner has ruled a man who was found suffocated in his garden shed died after drinking too much alcohol – not as a result of a suicide bid.

Christopher Morgan, described in court as a proud Welshman and a skilled engineer, was found slumped in the shed at his home, in Ashfield Avenue, in Bushey.

Mr Morgan's body was found by his family on the morning of April 10.

Earlier today, Hertfordshire's Coroner, Edward Thomas, heard the 54-year-old father had been experiencing relationship problems with his partner and had been drinking.

The coroners' court heard Mr Morgan had been drinking in The Swan public house, in Bushey, the night before his death.

The next morning, his family noticed the shed door was open and when they went to investigate, they found Mr Morgan slumped on his knees.

After hearing evidence from a pathologist, however, the coroner told Mr Morgan's family his death was not as a result of a suicide bid.

Dr Famingi, a pathologist, said she found no sign of a ligature around Mr Morgan's throat and said there was no damage to his neck.

She also found gravel and bruising on Mr Morgan's face, a result of his head resting on the floor.

Dr Matilda Famingi said she could find no evidence of a suicide bid, telling Mr Morgan's family he could easily have collapsed because of the alcohol in his body and suffocated.

She said Mr Morgan had a 391ml of alcohol in his blood – roughly five times the legal alcohol limit for drivers.

Dr Famingi: “Where there is a high level of alcohol in the blood, the brain sensor is reduced and it literally cannot tell your body to move to allow it to continue breathing.”

The coroner recorded Mr Morgan died of a “misadventure” and ruled his death was caused by postural asphyxiation and acute alcohol intoxication.

He concluded: “The way he collapsed obstructed his airways and because he had a lot to drink he was unable to get up straight away and deal with it.

“He collapsed in a way that meant there was not any oxygen for the body and in due course he died. He would not have felt anything because if he had he would have moved."