A MAN who had been drinking died after climbing over a sea wall, an inquest heard yesterday.

Mark Kent, 41, of Station Road, Redcar, had been on a night out with shop assistant Shirley Carroll, 39.

Mrs Carroll told the inquest in Middlesbrough she tried to grab Mr Kent but was left holding his jacket as he dropped into the sea.

PC Mark Cubitt, who was flagged down by a passer-by, said: "He was swimming around in circles and appeared to be calm and controlled.

"We shouted to him to come out of the water and he continued swimming around. Suddenly he started flaying his arms around and disappeared under the surface.''

An air sea rescue was launched for Mr Kent during the incident on December 1, 2001.

Redcar lifeboat crew member Michael Picknett said no-one could have survived in the North Sea that day for more than ten minutes.

A post-mortem examination showed Mr Kent had four times the amount of alcohol in his blood than the maximum permitted for driving.

Teesside Coroner Michael Sheffield recorded a verdict of misadventure.