SECONDS after he was seen sitting on a bench chatting happily to someone on his phone a pensioner and his bike fell into a canal.

But after an inquest in Ruthin it remained unclear whether Raymond Langford’s fall was due to a heart attack or vice-versa.

His sons Mark and Graham told the hearing that the 79-year-old had been a cyclist for many years, often cycling along the towpath alongside the Llangollen canal. He gave it up to care for his wife but following her death had begun again and was in good health.

On March 31 a Mrs Helen Evans and her husband were walking along the towpath between Llangollen and Trevor when they saw Mr Langford sitting on a bench with his bike alongside.

When they were about 200 yards further on they heard a splash and saw Mr Langford and his bike falling into the canal.

The pensioner was waving his arms around and Mr Evans went into the water to help him out. Other passers-by then dragged him onto the path. He was conscious but dazed at that stage, but then passed out.

CPR was carried out by members of the public and paramedics and Mr Langford, of Russell Street, Cefn Mawr, was flown by air ambulance to the Maelor Hospital, Wrexham. He suffered a further cardiac arrest and died the following day. Pathologist Dr Muhammad Aslam gave the cause of death as heart failure though Mr Langford also had cirrhosis of the liver and pneumonia, which had contributed to his death.

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, Joanne Lees, assistant coroner for North Wales East and Central, said: “There is no evidence of how he came to fall into the canal and although it was a natural cause of death it is likely it would not have occurred had he not fallen into the canal.”